TLDR
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AST SpaceMobile stock gains 4.81% as BlueBird testing expands across Europe.
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BlueBird integration now covers eight European countries and major carriers.
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Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, and Deutsche Telekom back key European trials.
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Standard smartphones can connect directly without added hardware or mobile apps.
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BlueBird satellites recently achieved peak download speeds of 98.9 Mbps in tests.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) shares climbed 4.81% to $71.67 in late-morning trading after the company expanded European network integration activities. The program now covers eight countries and currently brings several major mobile operators into coordinated satellite broadband testing across Europe. The expansion moves the planned BlueBird network closer to commercial direct-to-device service through ordinary smartphones across remote underserved locations.
European Network Integration Advances
AST SpaceMobile is actively testing integration in Britain, Ireland, Romania, France, Czechia, Germany, Spain and Ukraine with local partners. The work must secure regulatory approvals while meeting technical standards and operating requirements within every participating European telecommunications market. Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, and Vodafone Ukraine are supporting regional tests through their established national mobile network operations.
The companies are linking AST SpaceMobile’s satellite platform with terrestrial systems through new carrier-neutral gateways across the European region. Satellite Connect Europe is rolling out this infrastructure to offer open access for operators seeking reliable direct-to-device coverage services. The Luxembourg-based venture combines AST SpaceMobile’s satellite capabilities with Vodafone’s longstanding regional experience, assets, relationships, and operating knowledge.
The testing programs aim to connect standard smartphones through satellites without requiring extra hardware, special software, or separate applications. Mobile operators can therefore extend service beyond towers while keeping their existing billing systems, spectrum arrangements, and customer relationships. The network could strengthen emergency communications, public safety, business services, and government connectivity, especially where terrestrial coverage remains unavailable.
BlueBird Deployment Supports Commercial Expansion
AST SpaceMobile continues deploying additional BlueBird satellites while expanding commercial agreements and technical partnerships with mobile operators worldwide. The company now works with nearly 60 operators whose combined networks serve more than three billion existing mobile subscribers. This reach gives AST SpaceMobile a substantial distribution base as it prepares future commercial services across multiple international markets.
Its satellites use exceptionally large phased-array antennas engineered to communicate directly with standard mobile devices from low Earth orbit. Each next-generation array spans about 2,400 square feet, equivalent to approximately 223 square meters when fully deployed in orbit. The architecture supports voice calls, broadband data, and video services without requiring specialized satellite equipment or device attachments.
AST SpaceMobile recently achieved peak download speeds of 98.9 Mbps through its first Block 1 BlueBird satellites during testing. The next-generation satellites target nearly twice those peak speeds while supporting wider coverage and stronger network performance under suitable conditions. Meanwhile, about 3,900 patent and patent-pending claims protect the company’s satellite designs, communications systems, and direct-to-device technologies.
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