AST SpaceMobile

Company research

Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals

Updated Aug 5, 2026

Overview

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) is building a global low-Earth-orbit cellular broadband network that connects directly to ordinary, unmodified 4G/5G smartphones. It combines large phased-array BlueBird satellites with mobile-network-operator spectrum and terrestrial core networks, targeting coverage gaps for consumer, enterprise, government, and public-safety use.

Primary product

SpaceMobile Service: satellite-delivered 2G/4G-LTE/5G voice, messaging and broadband data directly to standard smartphones, sold through mobile-network-operator partners.

Founded

2017

Headquarters

Midland, Texas, United States (Midland International Air & Space Port).

Team size

Approximately 2,000+ globally as of April 2026; older LinkedIn estimate was 810, so current public figures are inconsistent.

Work style

Onsite

Industry

Telecommunications

Sub-industry

Direct-to-device satellite communications / space-based cellular broadband

Offices

Midland, Texas, United States

New York, New York, United States

Florida, United States

Spain

Israel

India

Scotland

Business model

Revenue sharing with mobile network operators

Wholesale network/service agreements with MNOs

Government and defense contracts

Strategic commercial prepayments and contracted commitments

Potential spectrum and technology applications beyond consumer connectivity

Funding

Stage

Public company; growth-stage commercial deployment

Latest round

Convertible senior notes offering · Feb 2026

Latest amount

$1.1B

Convertible senior notes offering

Feb 2026

$1.1B

PIPE financing in connection with business combination with New Providence Acquisition Corp.

Jan 2021

$462M

Series B / private financing

Jan 2019

Strategic and private placements

People & investors

Leadership

Abel Avellan

Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Scott Wisniewski

President & Chief Strategy Officer

Andrew Johnson

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Legal Officer

Shanti Gupta

Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Huiwen Yao

Chief Technology Officer

Chris Ivory

Chief Commercial Officer

Maya Bernal

Chief Accounting Officer

Sriram Jayasimha

Chief Scientist, Commercial Applications

Dr. Raymond Sedwick

Chief Scientist, Space Systems

JR Wilson

Chief of Networks & Spectrum

Jennifer A. Manner

SVP, Regulatory Affairs & International Strategy

Roy Sofer

SVP, Engineering

Henry Retamal

SVP, Operations

Robert Bassham

SVP, Satellite & Ground Operations

John Joyce

VP, Production

Investors

New Providence Acquisition Corp.

Rakuten

Verizon

Vodafone

Work & culture

The official careers message emphasizes startup energy, proactive innovators, broad ownership and comfort wearing many hats. Third-party employee reviews indicate mixed views on management communication, work-life balance and job conditions; some manufacturing roles use four 10-hour shifts.

Work style

Onsite

Compensation

Public job postings and third-party salary estimates provide signals but not a company-wide compensation policy. Indeed estimates include approximately $18.33/hour for senior assembler, $22/hour for quality-control associate, $21.45/hour for wire-harness technician and $33.86/hour for mechanic. Engineering postings specify senior-level qualifications but no salary in the retrieved evidence.

Product & market

Pricing

Not yet fully public or standardized; AST expects MNO-led offerings, potentially including revenue sharing, wholesale arrangements, mobile-plan add-ons, day passes, monthly options and emergency connectivity.

Differentiators

—Direct connectivity to standard, unmodified smartphones without a special antenna or handset
—Large phased-array satellites designed for broadband rather than messaging only
—Integration with existing MNO spectrum, networks and customer relationships
—Approximately 95% vertical integration and major U.S. manufacturing operations
—Broad global MNO partner ecosystem representing more than 3 billion subscribers
—Extensive direct-to-device patent portfolio
—Commercial and government/public-safety use cases

Technology

Low Earth orbit satellite communications

BlueBird Block 1 and Block 2 satellites

Large deployable phased-array antennas

Beamforming and high-power satellite payloads

2G, 4G-LTE and 5G cellular protocols

Direct-to-device communications with unmodified smartphones

Low-band and mid-band MNO spectrum

Satellite-to-terrestrial mobile-core integration

Embedded Linux, Yocto/Buildroot, C, C++, Python, TCP/IP and UDP

ASIC/SystemVerilog and hardware-in-the-loop testing

Git/GitHub Actions, Jira, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes/Helm, AWS SQS, ELK/Kibana and Splunk

Customers

AT&T

Verizon

Vodafone

Rakuten Mobile

stc Group / Saudi Telecom Company

Bell Canada

Telus

Orange

Telefónica

CK Hutchison

Taiwan Mobile

Sunrise

United States government and defense agencies

Competitors

SpaceX Starlink Direct-to-Cell

Lynk Global

Skylo

Omnispace

AST SpaceMobile’s partner MNOs’ terrestrial networks

Scale & contact

Estimated revenue

Approximately $50 million-$100 million annually; reported 2025 revenue was $70.9 million.

Signals & risks

Other

Jul 2026

AST disclosed that its target for approximately 45 satellites in orbit moved from the end of 2026 to early 2027, reflecting launch-campaign and launch-provider timing risk.

Source

Other

Jul 2026

The company launched a potential $1 billion share sale and said it may pursue partnerships or acquisitions to vertically integrate and mitigate dependence on third-party launch providers.

Source

Other

Mar 2026

2025 revenue was $70.9 million but the company reported a $341.9 million net loss, highlighting continued capital intensity and pre-scale profitability risk.

Source

Other

Sep 2025

AST completed an acquisition of an entity holding S-Band international spectrum-priority rights; the transaction is strategically useful but adds regulatory and integration complexity.

Source

Latest news

AST SpaceMobile Announces Successful Orbital Launch of BlueBirds 11, 12, and 13

Business Wire · Aug 2026

Three next-generation BlueBird satellites launched on Falcon 9, expanding the constellation; the company said beta services are targeted later in 2026.

AST SpaceMobile Commences Direct-to-Cellular Operations in Japan Alongside Rakuten

SatNews · Aug 2026

Reported activation of direct-to-device operations in Japan with Rakuten, subject to the limitations of the retrieved secondary source.

AST SpaceMobile Discloses Delays to Launch Campaign, Explores Vertical Integration

Via Satellite · Jul 2026

The company moved its 45-satellite target to early 2027 and disclosed a possible $1 billion equity raise and consideration of launch-related vertical integration.

FCC Grants AST SpaceMobile Commercial Authority for Direct-to-Device Cellular Broadband

Business Wire · Apr 2026

The FCC authorized an NGSO system of up to 248 satellites for U.S. supplemental coverage using 700 MHz and 800 MHz spectrum in coordination with Verizon, AT&T and FirstNet.

AST SpaceMobile FY2025 Results and Business Update

SEC filing / AST SpaceMobile · Mar 2026

AST reported $70.9 million of 2025 revenue, over $1.2 billion of contracted revenue commitments, a $30 million SDA award, and a $1.075 billion convertible-notes financing in February 2026.

BlueBird satellites BlueWalker 3 Careers Company homepage Investor relations Leadership and governance LinkedIn company Partners SpaceMobile network X profile

SourcesAST SpaceMobile 2025 Form 10-K AST SpaceMobile investor relations AST SpaceMobile FY2025 results Official careers page LinkedIn company profile Indeed employment page Satellite Today launch-risk report

Jobs and careers at AST SpaceMobile

224 jobs at AST SpaceMobile

OSS & Automation Architect

On-site

Telco

Lanham, Maryland, United States

1d ago

On-site

Full-time