T-Mobile US, Verizon and AT&T sealed their joint venture (JV) to expand coverage across areas of the US that terrestrial services cannot reach, in a rare example of cooperation between the big three.

The move followed an announcement in May outlining how the operators planned to pool their spectrum resources to eliminate “dead zones” by expanding satellite coverage for customers nationwide.

Former AT&T, Cingular Wireless and Ameritech executive Paul Roth is serving as the interim CEO of the JV while a search for a permanent chief is underway. The entity will be managed by a board with representatives from each founding member.

The companies stated the JV will “nearly eliminate dead zones in the U.S. currently without mobile service, reaching previously unserved areas” to cut down on coverage gaps.

It will also be beneficial for first responders during natural disasters or other disruptions by providing connectivity when terrestrial services are down.

They claim the new service will also provide a better customer experience for direct-to-device (D2D) consumer services through the unified approach.

T-Mobile notably has launched a commercial D2D service in collaboration with SpaceX, while Verizon has rolled out a satellite messaging service with Skylo Technologies. Verizon and AT&T are also separately working with AST SpaceMobile.

AT&T Business has a partnership in place with Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Leo to provide connectivity to businesses across the US. SpaceX is also mulling a mobile service through its Starlink birds, but the industry is somewhat sceptical of its approach.

The operators stated the venture will also be a boon to additional satellite providers while also collaborating closely with rural mobile operators to expand access and simplify integration.

The service could emerge as a threat to cable operators such as Cox Communications, formerly Charter Communications, Comcast and smaller providers across rural areas which are currently losing broadband subscribers to fixed wireless access services offered by the trio.

The combined use of each operator’s spectrum will improve efficiency while enabling mobile operators to deploy new services at a faster rate.

The JV also plans to take a standards-based approach to satellite services while allowing each of the three to continue their individual efforts across the sector.

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