📰 News — 2026
Bell has completed construction of its first “sovereign” direct-to-device satellite ground station in Canada. It’s a concrete step toward a fully Canadian satellite-to-phone service, competing directly with the Rogers offering powered by Starlink. And a detail that stands out: testing already includes voice and video calls on ordinary phones, not just texting.
⚠️ Don’t confuse this: like the Rogers service, this connects your phone by satellite where there’s no tower. It is not home internet. To connect a house, cottage or RV, you still need a Starlink dish.
What Bell announced
- A ground station in Canada, the first of its kind in the country, with construction complete and testing underway.
- A partnership with AST SpaceMobile, a Texas company deploying low-Earth-orbit satellites designed to talk directly to phones.
- Successful integration tests: text messaging, data connectivity, voice and video calls on standard smartphones.
- More ground stations under construction in Ontario, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Service launch targeted for early 2027.
Bell + AST SpaceMobile vs Rogers + Starlink
| Rogers (Starlink Direct to Cell) | Bell (AST SpaceMobile) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live in Canada | In testing, launch targeted early 2027 |
| Constellation | Starlink (SpaceX) | AST SpaceMobile |
| Capabilities | Texting, text-to-911, satellite apps | Texting, data, voice and video tested |
| Ground infrastructure | — | Sovereign stations in Canada |
Great news for your phone in remote areas — with no change to your home internet
The satellite-to-phone race is heating up in Canada. But to connect a home, cottage or RV today, the answer is the same: a Starlink dish, available nationwide, contract-free, with 1 month free through our link.
Source: Bell Canada news release, and associated media coverage, 2026. Last updated: August 2026.
*1 free month of Starlink service (equal to your plan) automatically credited 30 days after activation of your service, when you order through our official referral link RC-DF-7650727-61403-46. Official SpaceX program. No extra cost to you: same price as starlink.com. FastSat.ca receives a referral reward ($140 in cash or credit) for each referral, which funds the site.