AST SpaceMobile plans initial broadband coverage by year-end

Investing.com -- AST SpaceMobile announced plans to launch initial, intermittent space-based cellular broadband coverage before the end of 2026 in the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, according to Bank of America.

The company expects to begin commercial service three to six months after beta testing starts, Bank of America said.

AST SpaceMobile reported an increase in gateways to over 60 from approximately 50 in the second quarter. The company has also moved production to BlueBird 50 from 46.

The company has enabled over 3,000 coverage cells in the United States and expects to have 5,600 active before year-end to support the initial intermittent service.

Bank of America noted that an operational Starlink low earth orbit wireless network is likely several years away. AST SpaceMobile's performance and customer usage data could provide early insights into the market.

T-Mobile previously stated that usage of Starlink-powered T-Satellite represents only 0.0003% of usage at peak times and 0.0004% during normal times. AST SpaceMobile's full broadband capability could offer better indication of customer usage compared to Starlink's service, which is currently limited to text, photo sharing and location sharing, Bank of America said.

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