Lit the Bluebirds up! Vodafone is first to start testing. Can you hear us now, Verizon? Let's get our US spectrum lease assignment done so we can get the service going in the States
“In February or March we will be launching a US satellite for mobile communication, this satellite will enable voice communication on mobile phones. It will be an interesting mission," an NDTV report quoted as saying Dr Jitendra Singh, the minister of science and technology.
This will also mark the first time that an American company's large-scale communications satellite will be launched from an Indian rocket.
SPACEX TEASES 1TBPS STARLINK SATELLITES FOR GIGABIT INTERNET SpaceX’s next-gen V3 Starlink satellites promise 1Tbps download bandwidth—10x the speed of current models. Each launch via Starship will add 60Tbps capacity, scaling the network for gigabit speeds in congested areas. With over 4.6M users, Starlink aims to redefine global internet access.
This headline might be true. It might be the first 5G connection from a random LEO satellite to a ground station. It was not the first 5G connection from a LEO satellite to an unmodified handset
Shorts pile in and no one knows why. That, and more, on this week's Weekly
🇸🇬ASTS Gets First Non-US Defense Deal
First of many…
AST SpaceMobile agreed a deal to provide Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) with satellite-based emergency services in remote areas as the satellite player builds out its constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) birds.
From a strategic perspective, ASTS is well-positioned as a partner to Gulf telecom operators offering D2D services. The report validates ASTS’s relevance to KSA’s connectivity strategy, especially in non-urban areas
Cardinals select a new supreme constellation, FCC filings give us a lot of potential upside surprises, and more on this week's Weekly
🚀Launch Update
The launch guidance tightens up from H2 2025 - 1H 2026.
The story is now for cash flow ramp expectations. The April–May 2025 FCC/NTIA volley shows AST SpaceMobile has cleared the two riskiest technical hurdles—orbital-debris compliance and 36 GHz passive-sensor protection—while quietly quadrupling its target constellation. In short, “36 GHz passive-sensor protection” refers to proving that AST’s Q/V-band feeder links will not wash out sensitive climate-monitoring instruments. The filings show AST achieves this with comfortable technical margin, eliminating a major regulatory uncertainty without sacrificing link budget or launch schedule.
FCC Chair Carr and Senator Ted Cruz drop by to congratulate Abel, Golden Dome kicks off, 5G Fund expectations rise, ISRO Launch soon, and much more on this week's Weekly...
🎌Rakuten Meeting
CEO Hiroshi Mikitani told a briefing Wednesday that Rakuten would provide voice, video, text and "other" services when it starts in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While Japan has dense mobile coverage in built-up areas, its difficult terrain and numerous offshore islands mean most carriers cover only about 70% of the total territory.