NEW YORK, March 5, 2026, 15:25 (EST)
- AST SpaceMobile has inked a commercial agreement with TELUS to bring satellite-based texting, calls and data to remote Canadian regions, targeting a launch in late 2026.
- TELUS is putting money into ground-based satellite infrastructure and also picking up an equity stake in AST. There’s no word yet on the financial details.
- AST inked a deal with Axian Telecom, a pan-African operator, to bring direct-to-device mobile broadband—though it’s still waiting on local sign-offs.
AST SpaceMobile and TELUS Corp of Canada have struck a commercial deal to deliver space-powered cellular broadband across Canada’s remote regions, the companies said March 3. TELUS is also taking an equity stake in the U.S.-based satellite operator. The launch target is late 2026. The companies aim for the service to function with standard smartphones, no extra gear required. 1
The timing is crucial here: operators want coverage they can market without adding more towers—particularly out in rural regions, at sea, and across the far north. The real draw is so-called direct-to-device (D2D) service, which lets ordinary phones tap into satellites, no need for those specialized satellite handsets.
For AST, signing up TELUS marks another carrier actually committing, not just trialing the tech. Turning a technically tough concept into something scalable remains the goal, even as regulatory hurdles, spectrum issues, and the grind of network integration keep slowing progress in these markets.
TELUS plans to put money into ground-based satellite infrastructure as part of the new deal and will take an equity stake in AST SpaceMobile, though the company hasn’t revealed just how much it’s investing. “Eliminating connectivity gaps across Canada,” is how Nazim Benhadid, TELUS Networks’ chief technology officer, described the move. 2
AST landed a deal with Axian Telecom, a pan-African operator, aiming to roll out what both firms say will be Africa’s first D2D space-based mobile broadband, targeting places where ground networks fall short—think hard-to-reach spots, out at sea, or in the air. “It works with the phones people already own,” Axian CEO Hassan Jaber said. AST president Scott Wisniewski pitched the partnership as part of the push to “connect the unconnected worldwide.”
AST slipped roughly 12% to $92.72 during afternoon hours in New York, bouncing from a session high of $105.43 down to $91.09. The market cap hovered near $17.6 billion.
Competition is fierce. T-Mobile, in the U.S., teams up with Starlink to offer a satellite-to-phone service. Texting works, as do certain apps built for satellites, in spots lacking regular cell coverage. 3
AST chairman and CEO Abel Avellan disclosed in a separate regulatory filing that he holds 78.16 million shares, or 20.8% of the company’s Class A stock. Thanks to Class C shares that each come with ten votes, Avellan’s voting power stands at roughly 71.7%. According to the filing, Avellan hasn’t sold any shares—his ownership percentage shifted due to an increased share count. 4
The bear case isn’t hard to see. Satellite-to-phone service hinges on regulatory sign-offs and spectrum coordination, varying by market—still a hurdle. AST needs to ramp up hardware production and launches quickly enough to satisfy partners’ schedules. Missed targets would undermine revenue projections and might bring funding concerns back to the surface.
TELUS and Axian are keeping the financial details under wraps. Both projects face a series of hurdles—technical, regulatory, commercial—before customers get access to the service.
