AST Spacemobile - Startup that wants to connect your smartphone directly to a satellite.

It sounds like science fiction, but Texas startup AST SpaceMobile $ASTS is close to turning that vision into reality. The company is developing technology that will allow ordinary smartphones to connect directly to satellites - without the need for special hardware or antennas.

And investors have stepped up. Shares of $ASTS are up 81% year-to-date as the company heads toward its first commercial satellite launch in July 2025.

Unlike other solutions (such as Starlink), AST does not require special terminal equipment. It is to be connected directly from an iPhone or Android.

Thanks to alliances with US operators, the project has both regulatory and commercial support, greatly increasing the chances of commercial success.

The goal is global broadband connectivity, especially in places without traditional infrastructure - from African villages to rural USA.

Each has 2,400 square feet of antenna area and offers up to 10 times the bandwidth of previous models.

The company $ASTS is highly speculative so far, but it is also on the cusp of real returns. The satellite launches, which are due to begin in just a few weeks, will determine the market's confidence.

• AST SpaceMobile $ASTS offers one of the few publicly traded opportunities to bet on a revolution in global connectivity.
• If $ASTS can meet the technical challenges and capture even a small percentage of the mobile data market ($135+ billion annually), its valuation today may be just the beginning.
• For adventurous investors with an appetite for risk, ASTS is a story worth following.

If $ASTS $ASTS makes it, it won't just be a technology win - it will be a whole new cornerstone of digital civilization.