$ASTS gets industry recognition as well as a lot of attention at AT&T's analyst day, as much more...
🍰Summary
Achievements and Industry Position:
Recognition: $ASTS was named the "2024 Emerging Space Company of the Year."
Industry Alignment: Positioned at a critical intersection of technology and connectivity trends, such as satellite communication.
Trading Sentiment:
Market Dynamics: Noted trading patterns where $ASTS is seen as a pair trade against Starlink news, with investors reacting to perceived competition.
Zoomed-Out Perspective: Investors are encouraged to focus on the long-term structural advantages and milestones of $ASTS.
Competitive Insights:
Starlink Comparisons: Differences highlighted between $ASTS's higher speeds and capacity versus Starlink's shared-beam model.
Investor Challenges: Difficulty for institutions to invest in $ASTS due to pre-revenue status and competition with Elon Musk's ventures.
Satellite Operations: Updates on AST5000 ASIC development for enhanced performance in space environments.
Regulatory Milestones: Progress in FCC approvals, including spectrum leasing arrangements and compliance.
Partnerships:
AT&T Collaboration: AT&T's strategy emphasizes $ASTS's role in augmenting terrestrial services. AT&T and Verizon's spectrum contributions bolster $ASTS's offering.
Catalysts and Future Outlook:
Upcoming Catalysts: Regulatory approvals, new launches (e.g., Bluebird 2), government contracts, and initial operations/revenue.
Long-Term Vision: Potential for significant revenue growth and impact on mobile network operators' subscriber value.
Geopolitical and Global Context:
International Developments: Regulatory challenges in Namibia for Starlink, opportunities in Europe, and competitive positioning in the Indian market.
MNO Partnerships: The strategic choice to collaborate with mobile network operators ensures smoother market entry and broader adoption.
Investment Insights:
Valuation Potential: The potential for exponential growth if milestones are achieved, highlighting parallels with historical tech successes.
Market Awareness: Awareness and investment traction are still in the early stages, with significant room for growth.
🏆2024 Emerging Space Company of the Year
Well-earned recognition for $ASTS after a pivotal year of execution
I haven't gone back to test this, but it feels that whenever Starlink is in the news, $ASTS is just the easy "pair trade" where simple investors just assume the competitive hammer is dropping. Elon confirms the capacity per beam. Remember, the Starlink beam is shared among many more users than the comparable $ASTS beam
We have one partner. "We have a full year ahead of us to get more birds up in the sky." 1 year. Talks about how consumers do not want degradation of service.
Stankey talks about the point I spoke about two weeks ago about the power of the multi-client model. It makes no sense for a single MNO to build this because it will never be economic to them to do so.
I've been reading a book about Keyhole. These projects were so classified that people who worked on them, to this day, cannot talk about them. I speak because I know. Meanwhile, did $ASTS deploy something else off two birds? Lots of redacted filings
Cadence highlighting a partnership like this with AST SpaceMobile is relatively typical in the technology and semiconductor industries, especially for major projects involving innovative applications. Cadence uses this announcement to underscore its leadership in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and IP solutions. By linking its tools and expertise to a groundbreaking project like AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites, Cadence positions itself as a critical enabler of cutting-edge technology
Everything is getting wired for SCS, We see from these filings that the SCS rules are now in effect. I hadn't realized they weren't in effect, which just underscores how we are all learning here.
"The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has formally ordered Starlink to halt its satellite internet operations within the country, citing a lack of the required telecommunications license. "
Well, France is mentioning $ASTS? But I thought Europe was not going to have SCS, according to one expert? This is from the website of the French regulator
"AST SpaceMobile aims for a global expansion of high-speed connectivity. With a substantial increase in its cash reserves and strategic partnerships, AST SpaceMobile is ready to enhance global cellular coverage, targeting over 5 billion mobile users. (Investing.com)"
AT&T and Verizon know they need to tackle the guys who came and challenged their position. That's why they are trying to have an iPhone moment with $ASTS
A mobile Starlink is $450 and $30/month, or $0.60/GB. Amortize that $450 over 3 years, you have $150 / 12 = $12.5 / 50 = $0.25 in addition, or $0.85/GB. However, it's bundled so it's not a clean price b/c you have to also pay the $165. Remember, fixed broadband is a different animal than data delivered over terrestrial.
CARR: Yeah, there’s four main ideas that I’ve been talking a lot about in terms of the agenda that I want to run. I mean, obviously, first and foremost, I want to make sure I continue to work with the Trump transition team and make sure I understand 100% what their agenda is. But for my part, number one is looking at tech censorship. Number two, there’s a whole set of media issues that I think deserve the FCC taking a fresh look at. There’s -- third, a whole set of economic issues from permitting reform to spectrum to the space economy, where, frankly, we’ve got to add some rocket fuel to that process. And then finally, national security. I think particularly with Salt Typhoon top of mind for a lot of people, it’s important that we continue to make progress there.
Carr talks about Spectrum. Below is my work just showing how much spectrum is stuck with the government
"CARR: Yeah, I think he’s right. And Senator Ted Cruz, who I think is positioned to come in and lead the Commerce Committee, has said that freeing up more Spectrum is going to be his number one priority. And I agree wholeheartedly with that. When you free up Spectrum, it drives down prices for consumers. You can see traditional mobile wireless, for instance, competing in the in-home broadband market with cable. I think that’s a great thing for consumers. It’s also part of our national security interest. When we free up Spectrum, the world takes notice. Capital comes here. We get to set the rules of the road on the standard setting process. So there’s no question we’ve fallen into sort of a deep malaise on Spectrum under Biden administration. I hope we get a chance to turn that around while also protecting DOD. I mean, look, they’ve got national security missions that we can’t impinge on either. But we need a better balance than we’ve had the last couple of years."
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Seeing this filing means the operator (through the U.S. administration) has taken an early and essential regulatory step. The ITU framework sets the stage for official recognition of the satellite’s frequency usage and ensures no uncoordinated interference emerges
The world is over, but $ASTS continues to be in control of its destiny with nuanced details in regulatory filings showing that a large base of government revenue appears to be cooking. That, and more, on this week's Weekly...
👶Beta Boys
Beta is back. Wholesale liquidations of the market is always super fun, but it gives you a second chance. A great stock won't ever go back or rewind itself unless a) the market pukes or b) something bad happens.
Analogues:
October 1987 saw an enormous single‑day collapse (“Black Monday”). One month later, the market was roughly flat to slightly down (depending on the exact start/end points). November 2008 saw a vigorous +18 % rebound in the month after the local low, even though the global financial crisis continued well into 2009. March 2020 bottomed on March 23; the rebound one month later was approximately +25 %, reflecting the swift policy response and rapid market snapback.
Son, are we winning? Apparently, but last week it didn't feel like it. Ligado got signed, the future is bright but macro and FUD separate the men from the boys...that, and more on this week's Weekly...
The DA is signed. The implications of this are enormous. ASTS is ever-evolving and capitalizing on opportunities to maximize the value of their innovative technology
ASTS accomplished more this quarter than any Company I can remember. As their unofficial chronicler, I'm in shock at their pace of play...read on, friends
🕺MWC Update
$ASTS was center stage. Here is a video of Scott. Initial service in 2025 and full service in 2026.