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Amazon buys Globalstar for $11.5B: D2D NTN

Amazon buys Globalstar for $11.5B: D2D NTN
Amazon will acquire Globalstar to accelerate Amazon Leo’s direct-to-device (D2D) roadmap, secure midband MSS spectrum, and extend satellite coverage to smartphones and IoT beyond terrestrial reach. Amazon is acquiring Globalstar in a cash-and-stock deal valued at roughly $11.5 billion, with Globalstar shareholders able to elect $90 per share in cash or Amazon stock subject to a cash cap and proration. Closing is targeted after regulatory approvals and satellite milestones, with Amazon guiding to 2027. Amazon plans to deploy a next-generation D2D system starting in 2028, delivering voice, messaging, and data to unmodified mobile devices.

US Mobile + Starlink Home Internet Bundle Pricing

US Mobile + Starlink Home Internet Bundle Pricing
US Mobile and Starlink have launched limited-time bundles that combine Starlink residential service with US Mobile’s unlimited mobile plans under a single account and bill. Entry pricing starts at $47 per month, which effectively blends a $30 Starlink residential tier (targeted around 100 Mbps) with a $17 US Mobile base unlimited plan. Higher Starlink speed tiers are available at $77 per month for a 200 Mbps option and $117 per month for a “Max” service that targets 400 Mbps or more. Compared with Starlink’s typical standalone rates of $50, $80, and $120 for the same speed tiers, the bundles represent meaningful savings for households that want both mobile and home internet.

MWC 2026 Keynote 2: Transforming Tomorrow’s Connected World

MWC 2026 Keynotes
Live Streamed on Mon, 2 Mar at 11:15 - 12:45 CET

Visionary voices from around the globe take the stage to reflect on the expanding scope of connectivity, from core networks to cloud platforms to the emerging capabilities that stretch beyond our planet. Join us to explore how the interplay of innovation, leadership and global collaboration can drive meaningful transformation. Discover how bold thinking and shared ambition can build on this momentum and redefine what is possible in an increasingly connected world.

SpaceX IPO: Starlink NTN Threat to AT&T and Verizon

SpaceX IPO: Starlink NTN Threat to AT&T and Verizon
SpaceX’s anticipated 2026 IPO is not just a space-launch story; it is a capital and scale inflection that could reorder parts of the mobile and broadband value chain. Market chatter pegs SpaceX’s IPO valuation around the trillion-plus mark with a potential multibillion-dollar primary raise, a war chest that would dwarf most rivals’ balance sheets. For telecom, the same cash advantage accelerates Starlink’s network deployment, ground infrastructure, and device partnerships—compressing the window for incumbents to respond. Starlink reports more than 9,000 satellites in orbit, 9.2 million paying customers, and over $10 billion in annual revenue.

NTIA Clarifies BEAD Rules for SpaceX Starlink

NTIA Clarifies BEAD Rules for SpaceX Starlink
New guidance from the NTIA signals that BEAD-funded satellite providers, including SpaceX’s Starlink, must abide by standard program terms rather than negotiate bespoke carve-outs. An updated NTIA FAQ on subgranting makes clear that states cannot waive or dilute the statutory and programmatic requirements set out in the BEAD NOFO and subsequent guidance. Payments should be tied to objective milestones and verifiable outcomes, not front-loaded without proportional performance. Performance testing, reporting, and documentation must meet program and FCC-aligned standards; subgrantees cannot unilaterally narrow test samples or exclude locations to their advantage. The FAQ effectively answers whether BEAD can be implemented on a “vendor’s terms”: it cannot.

SpaceX xAI merger: beyond space data centers

SpaceX xAI merger: beyond space data centers
The merger creates a $1.25 trillion private giant that fuses launch, satellites, and AI, but the strategic logic goes beyond orbiting data centers. SpaceX brings rockets, Starship scale, and the world’s largest NGSO broadband network via Starlink. xAI brings models, AI R&D, and a brand in the hottest capital market category. Together, they present a single story to investors: own the stack from compute to constellation to connectivity, on and off Earth. Consolidation gives Musk freedom to reallocate cash flows and simplifies the roadshow pitch.

Blue Origin TeraWave LEO/MEO Network for Enterprises

Blue Origin TeraWave LEO/MEO Network for Enterprises
TeraWave combines 5,280 low Earth orbit satellites with 128 medium Earth orbit satellites—5,408 spacecraft in total—tied together via optical inter-satellite links. The design targets global coverage with two distinct performance tiers: up to 144 Gbps symmetrical RF links per enterprise customer using Q/V-band in LEO, and optical links in MEO delivering up to 6 Tbps for high-throughput trunking between hubs. Blue Origin positions the service for point-to-point private links and enterprise-grade internet access, with an initial target of up to 100,000 customers. The company intends to launch on its own New Glenn vehicles and leverage reusable engines to scale deployment.

AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 on New Glenn: Direct-to-Device Cellular Broadband

AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 on New Glenn: Direct-to-Device Cellular Broadband
BlueBird 7 is slated to lift off in late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the New Glenn-3 mission. It is AST SpaceMobile’s first payload on New Glenn and the second satellite in its next-generation “Block 2” campaign, following BlueBird 6. BlueBird 7 mirrors BlueBird 6 and carries a deployable array of about 2,400 square feet—the company positions it as the largest commercial communications aperture in low Earth orbit. The design, backed by thousands of patent and patent-pending claims, is engineered to deliver peak downlink rates up to 120 Mbps directly to standard, unmodified devices for voice, data, and video.

WISP vs Starlink Speeds: Ookla 2025

WISP vs Starlink Speeds: Ookla 2025
New performance data shows U.S. WISPs are getting faster, but low‑Earth orbit players like Starlink are advancing just as quickly—and the competitive gap in rural markets is narrowing. Based on Speedtest Intelligence data from Q1 2021 to Q2 2025, eight of the larger WISPs—Starry, Resound Networks, Nextlink, Wisper Internet, Unwired Broadband, GeoLinks, Etheric Networks, and Rise Broadband—improved speeds, with download gains outpacing uploads. Starry led by a wide margin with a 202 Mbps median download in Q2 2025, followed by Resound at 99 Mbps and Nextlink at 68 Mbps; GeoLinks trailed at 23 Mbps. Crucially, only a minority of WISP users consistently achieve the FCC’s 100/20 Mbps fixed broadband benchmark.

Amazon Leo: LEO satellite broadband rebrand

Amazon Leo: LEO satellite broadband rebrand
Amazon has moved its low Earth orbit broadband effort out of code-name mode and into a market-facing brand with strategic implications for telecom and enterprise buyers. Project Kuiper is now Amazon Leo, a direct reference to the low Earth orbit constellation underpinning the service. The rebrand signals a transition from R&D to commercial execution. Amazon reports more than 150 satellites in orbit today—roughly 153 by recent counts—following a string of successful launches and a completed prototype mission. The company says it will light up service as it adds coverage and capacity.

AST SpaceMobile D2D service by early 2026

AST SpaceMobile D2D service by early 2026
AST SpaceMobile is signaling a pivotal year ahead as it moves from demonstrations to commercial direct-to-device coverage with major operators and an aggressive launch schedule. The company’s plan to begin “intermittent nationwide” service in early 2026, followed by continuous coverage later in the year, is also a forcing function for device vendors, standards work, and MNO network integration. As AST scales to 45–60 BlueBird satellites by end-2026, pass frequency and overlap increase to support “continuous” service across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other priority markets. AST reports over $3.2 billion in cash and liquidity.

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile plan sovereign D2D NTN in Europe

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile plan sovereign D2D NTN in Europe
A new joint plan from Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile aims to deliver satellite broadband directly to standard smartphones across Europe under a sovereign operational model. AST SpaceMobile has submitted plans through Germany for a space-based network designed to provide broadband directly to devices across Europe. Operations would run through SatCo, a Luxembourg-based joint venture with Vodafone announced earlier this year. The timing aligns with looming European spectrum decisions and intensifying competition in direct-to-device (D2D). S-band at 2 GHz is up for renewal across the region in 2027, and 700 MHz public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) frequencies are central to resilient communications strategy.
Private Network Leadership Awrads 2026

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