AST SpaceMobile CEO has said goal is to ‘close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives’
AST SpaceMobile, a satellite operator which is based in the U.S., has entered two new partnerships: One with Kuwaiti operator Zain, and another with Brazil’s TIM.
In the deal with Zain, AST SpaceMobile will help improve digital services in Saudi Arabia. In a signed Memorandum of Understanding, the partners outlined plans for AST SpaceMobile to provide the operator with its satellite-based broadband network to better provide coverage in rural, remote and other hard-to-reach sites. The agreement, said the companies, also includes the exploration of potential space-based mobile broadband services.
Zain CTO Abdulrahman AlMufadda commented that the partnership will allow the operator to “expand digital services and communications” and deliver an “inclusive ecosystem” in Saudi Arabia.
Over in Brazil, the goal is similar: AST SpaceMobile and TIM will use satellites to deliver more cellular connectivity, specifically in the form of 4G data and voice services. The pair will first test the satellite company’s technology in Brazil’s North and Northeastern regions in the first half of this year.
“The agreement with AST SpaceMobile complements important ongoing initiatives to promote more digital inclusion, as it will allow TIM to take 4G to isolated areas, districts, villages, roads, resorts and tourist spots that today are not served by other operators,” said Marco Di Costanzo, director of network development at TIM Brasil.
In November of last year, AST SpaceMobile shared that its direct-to-cell satellite, the BlueWalker 3, was successfully deployed. The update iswasconsidered a critical step in delivering space-powered 5G broadband service. “Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work,” AST SpaceMobile Chairman and CEO Abel Avellan said at the time. “Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world.”
