Week in Space Data, every Friday.
Two direct-to-device (D2D) satellite companies, both aiming to connect standard, unmodified smartphones directly from space. They take different approaches: AST SpaceMobile builds very large satellites with huge antenna arrays, while Lynk launched smaller satellites.
Update, October 2026: Lynk Global and Omnispace completed their merger on August 14, 2026 and now operate as Elveo Mobile, led by CEO Ramu Potarazu and headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area (Chevy Chase, Maryland). The rest of this page describes Lynk before the merger. Elveo announcement
| Metric | AST SpaceMobile | Elveo Mobile (formerly Lynk) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[3,4,6,7,8] | 2017 (as AST & Science) | 2017 (as Ubiquitilink, later Lynk Global); merged with Omnispace as Elveo Mobile, Aug 14, 2026 |
| Founder / CEO[2,4,8] | Abel Avellan (founder; Chairman and CEO) | Lynk co-founded by Charles Miller; Elveo CEO Ramu Potarazu |
| Headquarters[1,4] | Midland, TX | Chevy Chase, MD (Elveo Mobile) |
| Publicly Traded[1,4] | Yes (ASTS, Nasdaq) | No (privately held) |
| Market Cap / Valuation | ~$14.3B | Private: no valuation on record |
| Private funding on record | No private funding figure on record | $100M raised privately |
| Revenue[1] | $31.5M in Q2 2026; company guidance of $150M to $200M for 2026 | Not disclosed (private) |
| Technology Approach[3,5,7] | Very large phased arrays beaming to standard phones: about 693 sq ft (64 m2) on BlueWalker 3 and Block 1, up to about 2,400 sq ft on Block 2 | Smaller "Lynk Tower" satellites, licensed under the FCC streamlined small-satellite process, connecting to standard phones |
| Constellation Authorized[2,5] | Up to 248 satellites (FCC authorization for U.S. commercial service, 2026) | 10 satellites (FCC commercial grant, Sep 2022) |
| Satellites Launched (as of Aug 2026)[11,6,7] | 12 BlueBirds in orbit (Aug 2026): 5 Block 1 and 7 Block 2; BlueBird 7 was lost after launch in April 2026 | 7 Lynk Tower satellites launched, Apr 2022 to May 2026 |
| Spectrum[1,4,5] | Shared MNO partner spectrum plus AST-controlled MSS spectrum | MNO cellular bands (617-960 MHz in the 2022 FCC grant); Elveo adds a multi-band licensed spectrum footprint |
| U.S. MNO Agreements[3,5] | Definitive commercial agreements with AT&T and Verizon | None in the 2022 FCC grant (earth stations outside the United States) |
| MNO Partners (global)[1,3,4] | Over 60 MNO partners covering over 3 billion subscribers (Aug 2026), incl. Vodafone, Rakuten, STC and Bell Canada | Commercial agreements with more than 50 MNOs and distribution partners in 60+ countries (Elveo, Aug 2026) |
| Service Type[1,3,4,5] | Voice, video and broadband data tested with unmodified phones; beta service being prepared for 2026 | Text messaging under the 2022 FCC grant; Elveo plans voice and data services |
| Peak Data Speed Demonstrated[2] | 98.9 Mbps to an unmodified smartphone (Block 1 BlueBird test, reported May 2026) | Not published |
| First Satellite-to-Phone Milestone[7,8] | Two-way voice call with unmodified phones, Apr 25, 2023 (BlueWalker 3, launched Sep 10, 2022) | Text message from a satellite to a standard phone, 2020 (Lynk's claim) |
| FCC Status[2,5] | Commercial U.S. service authorized with a Supplemental Coverage from Space grant (announced May 2026) | Commercial license for 10 satellites, Sep 16, 2022, for service outside the United States |
| Launch Providers Used[6,7] | SpaceX Falcon 9, ISRO LVM3 (BlueBird 6), Blue Origin New Glenn (BlueBird 7) | SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare |
| Business Model[3,4] | Revenue sharing with MNO partners, which sell the service to their own customers | Service through MNO and distribution partners |
Figures as of Feb 9, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
AST SpaceMobile builds very large satellites. The BlueWalker 3 test satellite, launched on September 10, 2022, carries a phased array of about 693 square feet (64 square meters), and the five Block 1 BlueBirds launched on September 12, 2024 are of similar size. The Block 2 BlueBirds, the first launched on December 23, 2025, carry arrays of up to about 2,400 square feet. AST made a two-way voice call between unmodified smartphones through BlueWalker 3 on April 25, 2023, and reported a 98.9 Mbps peak data speed from a Block 1 BlueBird to an unmodified smartphone in May 2026. AST's filings list 12 BlueBirds in orbit as of August 2026: the five Block 1 satellites and seven Block 2 satellites (BlueBird 7 was placed in too low an orbit by New Glenn in April 2026 and de-orbited).[1,2,3,7,11]
Lynk Global (formerly Ubiquitilink) took the opposite approach: smaller satellites, licensed by the FCC under its streamlined small-satellite process. Lynk says it sent the first text message from a satellite in orbit to a standard mobile phone in 2020. Its 2022 FCC license covers text messaging through ten "Lynk Tower" satellites, and seven Lynk Towers had launched on SpaceX rideshare missions by May 2026. As Elveo Mobile, the merged company says it plans voice and data services.[4,5,6,8]
AST SpaceMobile has definitive commercial agreements with AT&T and Verizon in the United States and with Vodafone and STC abroad, and reported over 60 MNO partners covering over 3 billion subscribers in August 2026. These partnerships matter because the service uses the MNOs' licensed cellular spectrum, alongside spectrum AST controls itself: the satellites act as cell towers in space. AST seeks a revenue-sharing model, with the MNOs selling the service to their own customers.[1,3]
Lynk's 2022 FCC license covers service with earth stations outside the United States, and its early work focused on markets where it had agreements with local mobile operators. Elveo Mobile says it has commercial agreements with more than 50 MNOs and major distribution partners operating in 60+ countries.[4,5]
AST SpaceMobile announced in May 2026 that the FCC had authorized commercial SpaceMobile service in the United States, with a grant of Supplemental Coverage from Space for direct-to-device broadband, for a network of up to 248 satellites. Earlier FCC authorizations covered the BlueWalker 3 test satellite and the first five BlueBirds.[2,7]
The FCC granted Lynk a commercial license on September 16, 2022 for ten satellites using cellular frequencies, with earth stations outside the United States, after a petition to deny from Iridium. The order describes an initial network for text messages in countries where Lynk had agreements with mobile network operators.[5]
AST SpaceMobile and Elveo Mobile are not the only players in D2D. T-Mobile's T-Satellite service runs on SpaceX's Starlink network (public launch July 2025), and Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone is delivered in partnership with Globalstar. AST's larger arrays are built for broadband data and voice, while the first Lynk license covered text messaging.[5,9,10]
Track both companies with real-time data on SpaceNexus