Verizon and AST Sign D2D Deal
Verizon's direct-to-device (D2D) arrangement with AST SpaceMobile is a competitive win for AST over SpaceX, William Blair's Louie DiPalma wrote investors Wednesday after the deal was announced. SpaceX "was likely aggressive" in courting Verizon, and that might have hurt AST in its own negotiations, DiPalma said. It's still possible that Verizon and AT&T, which also has a D2D arrangement with AST, will multisource their satellite partners, he said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
AST said that under the deal, it will provide D2D service to Verizon customers starting next year. DiPalma said the service will likely start in mid-2026, before AST has 45-60 satellites in orbit, which is the number it has said it needs to provide persistent service. AST will use AT&T's and Verizon's 850 MHz band spectrum to form a 5 MHz network that's nearly nationwide, DiPalma added.