AST SpaceMobile and Verizon Partner to Deliver Space-Based Cellular Service Across the U.S.

AST SpaceMobile and Verizon Partner to Deliver Space-Based Cellular Service Across the U.S.
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network directly accessible by standard smartphones, has signed a definitive commercial agreement with Verizon (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) to deliver direct-to-cellular service for Verizon customers beginning in 2026. The partnership aims to extend Verizon's award-winning network with space-based broadband coverage across the continental United States.

The collaboration will integrate Verizon's terrestrial mobile network, its premium 850 MHz low-band spectrum, and AST SpaceMobile's next-generation satellite constellation in low Earth orbit. Together, the networks will enable seamless connectivity for customers in urban, rural, and remote regions without the need for specialized hardware.

AST SpaceMobile's system employs the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in orbit, capable of connecting directly to everyday smartphones. The network is designed to utilize AST's licensed L- and S-band spectrum along with up to 1,150 MHz of partner mobile spectrum globally, advancing the company's vision of continuous, direct broadband access from space.

"Through our definitive commercial agreement with Verizon, we are working to deliver space-based cellular broadband coverage from space across the continental United States," said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. "The agreement will extend the scope of Verizon's 850 MHz premium low-band spectrum into areas of the U.S. that would benefit from the ubiquitous reach of space-based broadband technology."

This agreement follows successful tests that validated the AST SpaceMobile network's performance. In one milestone, a Verizon smartphone in Texas placed a crystal-clear Voice over LTE (VoLTE) call via an AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite to another Verizon device in New Jersey. The companies also demonstrated direct video and voice calls as well as two-way RCS messaging using unmodified smartphones, underscoring the maturity of the satellite-to-cellular technology.

"This partnership with AST SpaceMobile is a good step forward in our mission to build a seamlessly connected world," said Srini Kalapala, Senior Vice President of Technology and Product Development at Verizon. "By integrating our expansive, reliable, robust terrestrial network with this innovative space-based technology, we are paving the way for a future where everything and everyone can be connected, regardless of geography."