TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Saudi telecoms giant stc Group has signed a 10-year agreement that includes a $175 million prepayment commitment to use AST SpaceMobile\u2019s planned space-based cellular broadband network, the Texas-based venture announced Oct. 29.<\/p>\n
The agreement follows similar deals the low Earth orbit (LEO) operator has announced in the United States with AT&T and Verizon, which are providing the cellular frequencies<\/a> the constellation would use in the country alongside satellite spectrum.<\/p>\n AST said its satellites would be integrated with stc\u2019s terrestrial infrastructure under its latest agreement, expanding mobile coverage across Saudi Arabia and \u201cselect countries in the Middle East and Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n The Saudi company operates a variety of connectivity-related businesses across a 15-country operating footprint, from mobile network operators (MNOs) to cybersecurity services.\u00a0<\/p>\n AST did not detail expansion plans beyond Saudi Arabia, where stc has MNO subsidiaries in Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have flexibility on go to market strategies that we pursue together with our partner, stc,\u201d an AST spokesperson said via email without elaborating.<\/p>\n The companies plan to launch services before the end of 2026, subject to licensing and other regulatory approvals on a country-by-country basis.<\/p>\n In a news release announcing the agreement, AST said it will build three ground gateways in Saudi Arabia to facilitate services in the region, along with a network operations center in Riyadh, the country\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n The company says it has struck partnerships with more than 50 MNOs to date.<\/p>\n Getting to service<\/p>\n Five BlueBird satellites are currently in LEO, but the operator needs 45-60 of them to provide continuous coverage across anchor markets.<\/p>\n The sixth BlueBird \u2014 part of a next-generation that, at 223 square meters, would be more than three times the size of its predecessors \u2014 was shipped Oct. 12 to India for launch<\/a>. That satellite would overtake those in its earlier generation to boast the largest commercial antenna ever deployed in LEO.<\/p>\n