The Hill reports...

In a recent report, the Federal Communications Commission revealed a worrisome paradox in America’s cellular networks: they reach nearly everyone, but not nearly everywhere. While 95 percent of the U.S. population can receive 5G service from at least one carrier, only 69 percent of the nation’s road miles and 39 percent of its land area have such coverage. In rural America, the numbers fall to 60 percent and 38 percent.

This is the rural-mobile divide. It is not about whether a household can obtain broadband at home. It is about losing mobile service while driving, farming, hiking, fighting a wildfire or responding to an emergency.

The conventional solution is to build more cell towers. Some are still needed. But extending terrestrial networks to every remote road, ravine and mountaintop would be economically irrational. The FCC has approved a plan to provide up to $9 billion to close the remaining gaps in America’s 5G cellular networks. But instead of treating every dead zone as a construction problem, we should consider whether the last cell towers should instead be placed in orbit.

Technology advances now offer a promising alternative to cover this last and most expensive frontier. Direct-to-device satellite service allows an ordinary compatible cellphone to connect directly to a satellite when no terrestrial tower is available. The satellite effectively becomes a cell tower in space. No satellite phone, dish or other specialized equipment is required.

All three national carriers see satellites becoming an integral part of mobile networks.