ASTS Stock Could Get A New Catalyst: US Mobile Sets Sights On Q4 AST SpaceMobile Launch

US Mobile is also targeting Starlink Direct to Cell by late Q4 as part of its “terrestrial + celestial” strategy.

• US Mobile plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile-powered direct-to-cell coverage on its Verizon-based Warp network in Q4.
• The service would connect ordinary smartphones to satellites when users move beyond terrestrial cellular coverage.
• AST SpaceMobile fully deployed BlueBirds 12 and 13, whose large arrays can support speeds of about 200 Mbps.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) head into August’s final trading session on Monday down 1.6% for the month, leaving the stock within reach of snapping a two-month losing streak as US Mobile targets a fourth-quarter (Q4) launch of its direct-to-cell service.

ASTS stock fell nearly 6% on Friday and ended the week down 15%, marking its third consecutive weekly loss and its worst performance in more than a month.

US Mobile Targets Q4 AST SpaceMobile Launch

In a Reddit update, Ahmed Khattak, US Mobile’s CEO, said the carrier plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile-powered coverage on Warp, its Verizon-based network, during the fourth quarter.

“On direct-to-cell specifically, AST SpaceMobile is coming to Warp and is currently slated for Q4,” he said. Verizon is a commercial partner and investor in AST SpaceMobile. The upcoming service would allow US Mobile customers to connect through satellites when terrestrial cellular coverage is unavailable, using ordinary smartphones.

US Mobile is also targeting Starlink Direct to Cell toward the end of the fourth quarter, positioning the two satellite systems as coverage layers alongside its three terrestrial networks. “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,” the CEO said.

Terrestrial networks can reuse spectrum across millions of relatively small cells, giving them far more capacity, he said. Satellites, however, can fill gaps in places where conventional towers do not exist.

“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. “Not terrestrial OR celestial. Terrestrial + celestial.”

US Mobile Opens Platform To Satellite Partners

US Mobile has already integrated Starlink internet into its platform and is working toward tighter integration between terrestrial and satellite connectivity. The CEO sees a future in which customers could travel to remote locations, connect using a portable satellite terminal and receive support through the same platform used for conventional wireless service.

“No tower anywhere around you. Doesn’t matter,” he said. US Mobile’s platform can also incorporate additional “celestial partners” as they become available, Khattak added. The carrier recently crossed 1.1 million active subscribers and extended the agreement powering Warp into the next decade under a deal valued at over $1 billion.

ASTS Fully Deploys BlueBird 12 And 13 

Last week, AST SpaceMobile fully deployed BlueBird satellites 12 and 13, which launched with BlueBird 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 earlier this month. Each next-gen satellite carries a 2,400-square-foot array designed to deliver voice, broadband and text directly to standard smartphones, with peak speeds approaching 200 Mbps.

BlueBird 14 is complete, while BlueBirds 15 and 16 are nearing completion and production is advancing through BlueBird 48. AST SpaceMobile is targeting six fully assembled satellites per month and 45 in orbit by early 2027, with its global constellation eventually expected to exceed 100.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About ASTS?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS has been ‘bearish’ over the past week amid ‘extremely high’ message volume.

One user said, “$ASTS I'm looking forward to this upcoming wk! NOT because I think we're going to recover to where we should be w SP....But because it's another wk. closer to full deployment, substantial rev. n a variety of upcoming new contracts. Come what may!”

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Another user said, “$ASTS Interesting confirmation from US Mobile: AST SpaceMobile is coming to its Verizon-based Warp network in Q4.

This appears to extend AST’s Verizon relationship into the MVNO layer. Now the big question: will US Mobile customers actually get AST direct-to-cell service in Q4, and under what terms? Will this actually.generate meaningful revenue?”

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ASTS stock has risen 19% over the past year. 

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