AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) is pushing aggressively into Europe, announcing expanded network integration testing activities with some of the continent’s largest mobile network operators.
The Midland, Texas-based company is now conducting testing across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, and Ukraine.
Key partners in the European expansion include Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, and Vodafone Ukraine, representing a broad cross-section of the continent’s mobile landscape.
The integration testing is subject to regulatory approvals and leverages gateway infrastructure being rolled out by Satellite Connect Europe, a Luxembourg-headquartered joint venture between AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone.
Satellite Connect Europe was established to provide European-operated ground infrastructure and open access direct-to-device connectivity for mobile network operators across the region.
A central goal of the program is to integrate AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband service with existing terrestrial networks using standard, unmodified smartphones without requiring any specialized hardware or software.
Chief Commercial Officer Chris Ivory described the effort as a major step toward seamless complementary connectivity, saying, “Working alongside many of the world’s leading mobile network operators, we are advancing activities across multiple countries to become a seamless complementary layer of connectivity alongside existing terrestrial networks.”
Ivory added, “Together, we are building a future where everyday smartphones remain connected in more places, providing a layer of resilient connectivity for consumers, businesses, first responders, and governments.”
AST SpaceMobile’s satellite technology is backed by approximately 3,900 patent and patent-pending claims, enabling broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile devices through standard 3GPP technologies.
The company’s BlueBird satellites feature the largest-ever phased arrays deployed in low Earth orbit, measuring approximately 2,400 square feet, or 223 square meters, per satellite.
The next-generation satellites are designed to deliver nearly double the peak data speeds of the company’s initial Block 1 BlueBird satellites, which recently achieved peak download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard smartphones.
The European expansion builds on AST SpaceMobile’s growing global commercial momentum, with the company now working alongside nearly 60 mobile network operators representing over 3 billion existing subscribers worldwide.
Eliminating coverage gaps and enhancing network resilience for consumers, enterprises, public safety agencies, and government users remain core objectives driving the European rollout.
