AST SpaceMobile Expands European Direct-to-Device Integration Programme
AST SpaceMobile has announced an expansion of its European direct-to-device (D2D) deployment programme, with network integration testing now underway across multiple countries in partnership with several of the continent's largest mobile network operators.
The company says it is conducting integration activities, subject to regulatory approvals, with Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Ukraine across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Ukraine. The programme is designed to integrate AST SpaceMobile's space-based cellular broadband network with existing terrestrial mobile infrastructure, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without requiring specialised hardware or software.
The deployments are being supported by Satellite Connect Europe, the Luxembourg-based joint venture between AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone, which is building a shared, carrier-neutral network of satellite gateways across Europe. The gateway infrastructure is intended to allow multiple mobile operators to integrate satellite connectivity while maintaining control of their spectrum, customers and core networks.
According to AST SpaceMobile, the European initiative builds on its growing global footprint, where the company is now working with nearly 60 mobile network operators representing more than three billion subscribers. The integration programme aims to establish satellite connectivity as a complementary layer to terrestrial networks, extending coverage into areas without cellular infrastructure while enhancing network resilience, emergency communications and public safety capabilities.
The announcement also highlights the capabilities of AST SpaceMobile's next-generation BlueBird satellites - three of which, Bluebirds 11, 12 and 13, launched on 5th August from Cape Canaveral. Equipped with phased-array antennas spanning approximately 223 square metres (2,400 square feet), the satellites are designed to deliver broadband connectivity directly to conventional smartphones. The company says future BlueBird satellites are expected to nearly double the performance of its first-generation spacecraft, which have already demonstrated download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard mobile devices, supporting voice, broadband data and video services over 3GPP-compliant direct-to-device connections.