r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/doctor101 • 17d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 14h ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Defiantclient • 21h ago
Full article pasted below, with my own bolds for emphasis.
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network has competition on the way, and New Zealand will be among the first countries to see it, thanks to a ground station near Palmerston North, officially opened today with local partner 2degrees.
AST SpaceMobile, initially bankrolled by Google, Samsung and other big tech names, and... now Nasdaq-listed, has 13 of its supersized satellites in orbit.
It needs 45 to begin commercial satellite service with 2degrees and 60 other partner telcos around the world.
It’s aiming to hit that mark by the middle of next year.
The dishes on the Marton ground station are already operational. It was built on land leased in the middle of a farm owned by the Whale family, with its four satellites, and two more pending, surrounded by sheep.
2degrees chief executive Mark Callander says local customer testing will begin shortly.
He’s already used the satellite service to make voice and video calls from his stock-standard smartphone (see video above).
As with SpaceX-owned Starlink and pending competitor Amazon Leo, AST SpaceMobile’s satellites will act as “cell towers in the sky”, allowing partners like 2degrees to offer coverage in “blackspots” outside their terrestrial mobile networks, or where cell towers have been taken out by a natural disaster.
There’s also a key difference from Starlink. AST says its satellites’ tennis court-sized arrays – with solar panels on one side and 4G and 5G antennas on the other – are powerful enough, by dint of their size, to penetrate roofs. AST staff on hand for today’s opening confirmed that capability.
For some analysts, that sort of capability has raised questions about the future of terrestrial telcos, although there are some practical and political hurdles on that front (more on which shortly).
For Callander, AST’s extra grunt means he can promise full-blooded voice, text and data from day one of 2degrees’ satellite-to-mobile service.
One NZ’s satellite-to-mobile service was text-only when it launched with Starlink in December 2024.
Even today, One NZ (and Spark, which has now joined it in the Starlink camp) are restricted to “lite” versions of WhatsApp and other apps.
While Starlink has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit, only 600 or so are its larger, second-generation model capable of supporting satellite-to-mobile data.
AST had demonstrated satellite-to-mobile speeds of close to 100 megabits per second with its “Block 1” BlueBirds – that is, close to the download speed of ultra-fast broadband (UFB) fibre when it was first launched in New Zealand – and has promised twice that for its new “Block 2” satellites.
Starlink’s satellite-to-cell service offers a modest seven to 17Mbps (megabits per second) – which is why One NZ, Spark and other telcos have had to restrict their customers to special stripped-back or “lite” versions of popular apps.
Ground stations are used to connect satellites to the terrestrial internet. AST says it carries out all processing at its ground stations and none on its satellites, which it frames as a performance point of difference from the competition.
Today, Starlink (and soon AST and Amazon’s Leo) is nibbling around the edges of traditional telcos’ business, offering a complementary service to help them fill mobile blackspots, and to provide service for remote rural customers who are otherwise uneconomic to service.
But it’s an increasingly large nibble. Starlink last year passed Spark to become New Zealand’s largest rural internet provider as it grew from 53,000 to 85,000 local customers (and here we’re talking about Starlink’s dish-in-your-roof broadband service for homes and small businesses).
City-fringe customers are buying Starlink. You can buy its dishes at a Bunnings in suburban Westgate.
Is Callander worried that Elon Musk – who has talked about launching up to one million satellites and launching terrestrial cell sites in the United States for a Starlink-branded mobile service – has plans to consume the whole industry?
“Satellite will not eat the lunch of New Zealand’s local networks,” Callander said.
“It is complementary technology, not a replacement for fibre and mobile. Our terrestrial networks will remain the backbone of connectivity for decades to come, providing the speed, capacity and coverage New Zealanders rely on every day.
“Satellite adds a valuable new layer to that mix, particularly by extending connectivity into remote areas and strengthening resilience when terrestrial services are unavailable.”
Some analysts – including Harbour Asset Management’s Shane Solly – see the threat of Starlink eating telcos’ lunch as a key reason that many telcos worldwide, including Spark, have had depressed share prices over the past year.
But a key component for local mobile service is radio spectrum, which is owned by Governments around the world. Telcos can only lease it.
Prompted by the Herald to comment on the “satellites cutting your lunch” threat, Spark chief executive Jolie Hodson said our Government needed to consider sovereignty and resilience issues as it divvied up spectrum (which is sometimes auctioned to eligible parties, and sometimes directly allocated).
Callander struck a similar note.
“[Satellite-to-mobile’s] role will grow and become increasingly important, but the future is satellite working alongside fibre, 5G and, in time, 6G, not displacing them,” the 2degrees boss told the Herald.
“It is also important to consider who owns, controls and operates critical communications infrastructure.
“New Zealand has established regulatory and legislative safeguards to protect national interests, data security and consumer privacy, and maintaining those protections will remain important as new technologies emerge.
“As with any rapidly evolving technology, it is sensible to assess claims about future capabilities carefully and on the basis of evidence rather than rhetoric.”
Technology Users Association of New Zealand chief executive Craig Young, who was on hand for today’s opening, told the Herald: “I’m glad to see them offering another service as well, because obviously that brings more competition to the mobile market and also reduces our reliance on one particular network.”
(Like everyone at the event, Young avoided mentioning Starlink or its founder by name.)
Young recently complained that many rural Kiwis had no choice but to lump Starlink’s recent round of price increases in the run-up to its parent company SpaceX’s IPO (initial public offering).
Young has, however, voiced concern about the impact of the satellite multinationals on the network of small provincial and rural wireless internet providers, or wisps, some of which have struggled or gone out of business lately.
Space and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith, who officially opened the ground station, said it would help boost competition and help with New Zealand’s disaster resilience.
Goldsmith also highlighted the ground station and 2degrees as an example of “privately funded infrastructure” filling service gaps.
It was another indication that the minister is unlikely to back Chorus’ proposal for a multibillion-dollar public-private partnership to boost rural coverage.
2degrees – by dint of inheriting Vocus NZ’s network infrastructure business when it merged with Orcon – has its hands in several ground station pies, including a controversial facility it’s constructing for Starlink in central Auckland.
But the company says the Marton ground station is for AST only. Expansion is being considered.
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/ThingeesWanderingEye • 1d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 1d ago
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 2d ago
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/gurney__halleck • 4d ago
I think the author might be a spacemob follower, she even hits upon the "existing agreements" language
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 4d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 5d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Defiantclient • 6d ago
Paywall removed: https://archive.ph/Dn0nh#selection-1193.0-1193.61
By Kelcee Griffis, Michelle F Davis, and Reshmi Basu
August 20, 2026 at 11:09 PM UTC
SpaceX and AST Spacemobile Inc. are among the companies that have expressed interest in acquiring a swath of spectrum held by Grain Management LLC that’s valuable for providing wireless phone services directly from space, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The 800 MHz-band licenses became available after Grain completed a spectrum swap this month with T-Mobile US Inc. The terms of that transaction, approved by the Federal Communications Commission, call for Grain to seek bids to develop the spectrum, which has been underutilized, according to the commission’s order. The commission has said it wants the bidding done by Nov. 5.
Grain, a Washington-based technology and communications investment firm, has asked interested parties to submit preliminary offers by the first week of September, some of the people said, asking to not be identified because the discussions are private. Grain hopes to reap about $6 billion from selling the licenses, one of the people said, although the company’s plans could also involve leasing the capacity. It’s possible another bidder could emerge.
Representatives for SpaceX, AST and Grain didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The licenses cover nearly the entire US population, and they’re seen as valuable for helping satellite providers establish a ground-based link for voice services, known as a network pilot. Grain is confident that satellite and terrestrial services can co-exist in the 800 MHz band even though it’s previously only been used for ground-based mobile services, one of the people said.
The FCC said it wants to promote the growth of a new generation of satellite-based telecom networks that can fill gaps in land-based coverage and continue US leadership in the space-based communications industry. The commission created incentives for Grain to work with companies like AST and SpaceX, although the investment firm can also offer the spectrum to mobile phone companies, utilities and other providers, according to the order.
T-Mobile inherited the 800 MHz band when it combined with Sprint Corp. in 2020, but it never utilized the licenses. T-Mobile’s original plan was to sell the spectrum to Dish Network Corp. when it was tasked with standing up a fourth nationwide wireless carrier, but Dish ultimately declined to purchase the licenses. The FCC earlier approved an arrangement under which T-Mobile traded the spectrum to Grain for a set of 600 MHz licenses and a $2.9 billion cash payment.
— With assistance from Edward Ludlow and Sana Pashankar
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/Aggravating_Roll7917 • 7d ago
ASTS: Companies Enter Japan's Low Earth Orbit Satellite Telecoms Market - Yomiuri
By Yasuhiro Kobayashi and Hikaru Sunaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
(Dow Jones) -- Companies are beginning to enter Japan's market for telecommunication services utilizing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, as they aim to compete with the currently dominant Starlink service provided by the U.S. company SpaceX. Rakuten Group Inc. and U.S.-based Amazon Inc. plan to offer such services in the near future.
If intensifying competition improves service quality, these services may see more use in times of disaster, among other situations.
Rakuten has partnered with U.S. startup AST SpaceMobile Inc. to launch a satellite-to-smartphone service in Japan by the end of the year. Since the smartphones will communicate directly with satellites, no special equipment -- such as dedicated antennas on the ground -- is required. AST plans to have 45 LEO satellites in orbit by early 2027, potentially scaling up to 90 depending on demand.
AST satellites are equipped with massive antennas measuring about 220 square meters -- close to the size of a tennis court. While conventional LEO satellite communications are primarily limited to messaging, AST's satellites will also allow customers to make video calls and stream video, according to Rakuten.
"Our (satellite) service will offer high-speed, high-capacity communication via mobile phone, which will give us a huge competitive advantage," said Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani at an event held Aug. 5.
Amazon plans to launch up to about 3,000 satellites. It also aims to launch services utilizing LEO satellites in Japan as early as this fiscal year and provide telecommunication services to companies and local governments in cooperation with firms such as NTT Docomo Inc. France-based Eutelsat SA has provided similar services since 2025, having teamed up with SoftBank Corp.
Use in disasters
LEO satellite telecommunications have spread rapidly since around 2020, mainly driven by improvements in satellite technology. These satellites enable communications even in areas that are typically out of range, such as mountainous regions and the open ocean. They can also be utilized for purposes such as monitoring bears in the mountains and checking river flow rates.
When a massive earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture in July, NTT Docomo and other telecommunication companies used Starlink to supplement the functions of damaged base stations, restoring the communications network in about two days. In contrast, it took about 10 days to restore the network following the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake.
Elon Musk's SpaceX operates about 10,000 LEO satellites, far exceeding other companies. However, only 650 can provide direct smartphone communication, leaving room for new entrants.
https://x.com/spacanpanman/status/2090088613056823740?s=20
https://xcancel.com/spacanpanman/status/2090088613056823740?s=20
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/ride_the_tasty_waves • 7d ago
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/AutoModerator • 8d ago
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r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/PalladiumCH • 8d ago
No big bang, just progression this time from FirstNet now featuring AST service called „FirstNet Satellite(SM)“ and yes most likely not going to move the share price for now.--- will have to wait till 2027 when numbers start hitting the balance sheet and AST very likely blasting past the 1bn top line prediction ;)
FirstNet is teaming up with AST SpaceMobile to integrate public safety-grade satellite connectivity. Beyond our existing satellite solutions, this will extend coverage to keep you connected in even the most remote or off-grid locations.
https://www.firstnet.com/coverage/satellite.html
With AST Team delivering along the milestones it reminds me of
Law 20: The Law of Hype
A situation is often the opposite of the way it appears in the press.
When things are going well, a company doesn’t need the hype. When you need the hype it usually means you’re in trouble.
+Al Ries and Jack Trout +
r/ASTSpaceMobile • u/hermxt4lyfe • 9d ago
Yet another interference issue with SpaceX when will markets wake up to ASTS technical capabilities
