Nokia, AST SpaceMobile join hands for broadband from space

NEW DELHI: Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia Thursday signed a five-year 5G deal with AST SpaceMobile.

AST SpaceMobile is building the first space-based mobile broadband network which will be directly accessible by a standard 4G or 5G handset, as per an official statement. The company claims that it intends to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by over “five billion mobile subscribers worldwide and to bring cellular broadband to approximately half of the world’s population who remain unconnected”.

The statement mentioned that AST SpaceMobile has entered into agreements and understandings with mobile network operators which collectively service over 1.8 billion cellular customers.