While other space-internet empires are being built with thousands of small satellites, Abel Avellan is taking a different approach. “For a true broadband experience, you can only solve that with size,” says Avellan, founder and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, which produces satellites with the largest commercial antennas ever deployed in low-Earth orbit. Five of its BlueBirds are already circling, and even larger satellites planned for launch in the coming months would enable peak transmission speeds of 120 Mbps, new benchmarks for space-beamed internet. Partnerships mean AT&T and Verizon customers will have satellite capabilities built in, while others can purchase variable-rate plans. AST plans to have intermittent service in the U.S. by the end of this year, with global reach in 2026.
