Verizon Inks Deal With AST SpaceMobile to Provide Space-based Cellular Service

Verizon customers will have the option for space-based cellular broadband service beginning in 2026 through a commercial agreement the company signed on Oct. 8 with AST SpaceMobile.

AST SpaceMobile of Midland, Texas, will combine its space-based low Earth orbit cellular network with Verizon’s 850 megahertz spectrum to provide customers with expanded cellular coverage. Verizon customers who are out of range of their carrier’s communications towers will be able to connect directly to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite-to-cellular technologies without the need for special equipment or modified phones, AST SpaceMobile said.