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.
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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.