US Mobile plans to bring AST SpaceMobile-powered direct-to-cell satellite coverage to its Verizon-based Warp network during the fourth quarter of 2026.
The announcement represents a potential new catalyst for shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), which have faced persistent selling pressure in recent weeks.
ASTS stock fell nearly 6% on Friday and ended last week down 15%, marking its third consecutive weekly loss and its worst performance in more than a month.
Despite the recent slide, shares have gained 19% over the past year, and investors are watching the Q4 satellite launch timeline closely.
US Mobile CEO Ahmed Khattak confirmed the plans in a Reddit update, saying “On direct-to-cell specifically, AST SpaceMobile is coming to Warp and is currently slated for Q4.”
The service would allow US Mobile customers to connect through satellites when terrestrial cellular coverage is unavailable, using ordinary smartphones without specialized hardware.
Verizon, which serves as the backbone of the Warp network, is also a commercial partner and investor in AST SpaceMobile, deepening the relationship across multiple layers of the wireless stack.
US Mobile is simultaneously targeting a Starlink Direct to Cell integration toward the end of Q4, positioning both satellite systems as additional coverage layers alongside its three terrestrial networks.
Khattak was clear that satellite technology is not a replacement for conventional cell infrastructure, saying “I do not think satellite will replace terrestrial cellular networks because the physics simply do not support that, but I think it is going to be an incredible coverage layer.”
He explained that terrestrial networks can reuse spectrum across millions of relatively small cells, giving them far greater capacity than any satellite system could match in dense areas.
“By Q4, the direction should be pretty clear: three terrestrial networks, Starlink for off grid connectivity, direct to cell when terrestrial coverage disappears and Fixed Wireless at home, all increasingly orchestrated through one platform,” Khattak said, adding “Not terrestrial OR celestial. Terrestrial + celestial.”
US Mobile has already integrated Starlink internet into its platform and recently crossed 1.1 million active subscribers, while extending its Warp network agreement into the next decade under a deal valued at over $1 billion.
On the hardware side, AST SpaceMobile last week fully deployed BlueBird satellites 12 and 13, which launched alongside BlueBird 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 earlier this month.
Each next-generation BlueBird satellite carries a 2,400-square-foot array capable of delivering voice, broadband, and text directly to standard smartphones, with peak speeds approaching 200 Mbps.
BlueBird 14 is complete, BlueBirds 15 and 16 are nearing completion, and AST SpaceMobile is targeting six fully assembled satellites per month with 45 in orbit by early 2027 and a global constellation expected to eventually exceed 100 satellites.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS has been “bearish” over the past week amid “extremely high” message volume, reflecting the tension between near-term price weakness and longer-term deployment milestones.
