AST Expects to Launch Commercial D2D Service for Verizon in 2026

AST SpaceMobile's direct-to-device commercial service agreement with Verizon (see 2510080001) gives AST a formal path to provide D2D cellular broadband to Verizon customers next year, CEO Abel Avellan told analysts in a call this week as the company announced its latest quarterly earnings. A broader commercial rollout of service with Bell Canada also is forthcoming, he said. AST remains on track for intermittent nationwide service in the U.S. in early 2026 and continued service later in the year. Avellan also noted that AST has more than $1 billion in contracted revenue commitments from its commercial partners. The company should finish 2025 with a manufacturing cadence of six satellites a month, he said, adding that its BlueBird 6 satellite should launch in the first half of December and BlueBird 7 "shortly thereafter." AST expects five orbital launches by the end of Q1 2026 and additional launches every month or two to get to 45-60 satellites by the end of 2026.