AST SpaceMobile disclosed that a joint venture with Rakuten has been preliminarily selected by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the J-LEO initiative, a program expected to provide up to approximately $1 billion in non-dilutive, non-debt government capital. The potential funding adds another major government opportunity to AST SpaceMobile’s expanding commercial and national security business.
The company is building a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with standard smartphones. AST SpaceMobile has signed partnerships with more than 60 mobile network operators representing more than 3 billion subscribers globally. Network integration and testing activities are underway with partners including Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone Ukraine and Deutsche Telekom, along with programs in Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
AST SpaceMobile is also preparing for beta services during 2026. The company has activated an initial 3,000 digital cells across the continental United States and has 13 spacecraft in orbit following the launches of BlueBirds 8 through 13. BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 are expected to be ready to ship shortly, while BlueBird 17 through BlueBird 46 are in various stages of production and assembly.
The company’s proprietary ASIC offers up to 10 GHz of processing bandwidth per satellite and is expected to deliver a 10-fold throughput improvement compared with Block 1 satellites. AST SpaceMobile also said AI-enabled spectrum management could provide up to a 10-fold improvement in user experience. Its contracted revenue backlog has increased to approximately $1.3 billion, including commercial partnerships and U.S. government awards.
KEY QUOTES:
“Following the recent orbital launch of BlueBirds 11, 12, and 13, our space-based cellular broadband network has now grown to 13 spacecraft in orbit, each the largest ever in low Earth orbit, with approximately 20,000 square feet of combined aperture hardware deployed. As we get ready to ship BlueBirds 14, 15, and 16 and continue expanding our constellation with production ongoing through BlueBird 46, we are preparing to initiate beta services with select strategic partners.”
“Beyond addressing the connectivity needs of billions of mobile subscribers, we are pursuing a broad range of mission-critical applications, including government communications and non-communications, radar, emergency response, Internet of Things, AI edge compute and other advanced connectivity solutions.”
Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile
