All AST SpaceMobile articles – Page 4
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Premium
UK spaceports still aiming high after Virgin Orbit failure
SaxaVord Spaceport plots UK’s first vertical launch from the Shetland Islands.
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People
SatCo people moves: Eutelsat installs CFO replacement
Christophe Caudrelier takes up CFO position at Eutelsat.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Telefónica joins SpaceMobile’s MNO crew
Partnership confirmed with closely watched New Sat startup ahead of late-2023 launch.
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Premium
AT&T CEO rains on TMUS’s satellite smartphone parade
Stankey claims 18‑month lead in providing cellular smartphone connections via satellite.
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Innovation (R&D)
SpaceX supports launch of SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3
New communications satellite to fill phone and data coverage gaps.
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Operations
SpaceMobile tweaks plan amid cost and supply drags
Vodafone-backed New Sat startup “highly focused” on funding requirements as costs rise for kit, components, services, and employees.
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Premium
Elsewhere in Africa: AST’s BlueWalker 3 launch pushed back
Vodacom’s VoD service shuttered to aggregate content through VodaPay; SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite launch put back by up to a month.
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M&A
SpaceMobile prioritises satellite launch with NanoAvionics sale
Vodafone-backed satellite developer divests 77% holding in $28m deal.
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Network & Infrastructure
SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 nears launch
Vodafone partner AST SpaceMobile sets date for LEO satellite launch.
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Partnerships & Alliances
SpaceMobile stays flexible as final testing nears
New funding deal with B Riley provides cash assurance as investment builds ahead of commercial launch.
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Network & Infrastructure
Inmarsat CEO highlights risks from unmanaged space expansion
Rajeev Suri calls for a common approach to protect the space environment. Inmarsat and Viasat agree undertakings with the UK government to smooth merger progress.
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Partnerships & Alliances
SpaceMobile lures Orange with Vodafone template
Evolving cellular broadband provider now claims association with 1.8 billion mobile accesses as commercial plans progress. FY21 results see $80m more cash spent by SpaceMobile, but with $322m still at hand to fuel 2023 first phase launch. Management assures supply chain and satellite slots secure despite global upheaval.
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Partnerships & Alliances
SpaceMobile steps up commercialisation plans
Confirmation of multi-launch agreement demonstrates building momentum for space-based cellular connectivity solution, despite earlier prototype delays. Satellite operators jostling for launch spots as Russian rockets are frozen out in response to Ukraine invasion. Partner and investor Vodafone set to offer seamless SpaceMobile integration, with Group CTO framing the technology ...
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Premium
Elsewhere in Vodafone Group: operator boasts iSIM first
‘G’s’ need a rethink, suggests Group network architecture point man Tenorio; Vodafone tests iSIM with Qualcomm, Samsung, and Thales.
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Digital Reports
Vodafonewatch Report #202 – December 2021
Key stories include: Read laments “vulnerable” Europe | Nova boost for Tech 2025 | TPG shuffles leadership team | Portugal finally gets 5G | Spacemobile primed for 2022 trials
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Network & Infrastructure
SpaceMobile confirms slippage on BlueWalker 3 launch
Deployment of prototype satellite rescheduled for next summer. SpaceX-supported launch is precursor to integration and testing programme with Vodafone and other partner MNOs.
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Partnerships & Alliances
SpaceMobile lines up 2022 trials with Vodacom
Chairman Abel Avellan says six-month interconnection and testing programme will follow launch of BlueWalker 3 prototype. Lift-off of giant spacecraft may see slight slippage. US startup adds more MNO partners to go-to-market ahead of 2023 debut.
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Partnerships & Alliances
Vodacom in talks over rural wireless alliance
Operator scoping out partners to share investment in thousands of extra sites across its sub-Saharan African footprint. Venture adds to wider technology and business model experimentation by Vodacom, to fund network expansion.
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Network & Infrastructure
Starlink a potential suitor in Vodafone’s 28GHz lease deal
Vodafone in conversation with satellite operators to lease 28GHz spectrum in the UK. Elon Musk’s Starlink touted as an option