AST SpaceMobile Inc (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares are trading higher Thursday morning as traders recalibrate the direct-to-device satellite connectivity landscape after a major competitor headline tied to Amazon’s Globalstar deal.
- AST SpaceMobile shares are consolidating. What’s ahead for ASTS stock?
Amazon-Globalstar Deal Resets Direct-To-Cell Competition
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) this week announced a deal to acquire Globalstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSAT), with plans to combine Globalstar’s satellites, infrastructure and spectrum assets with Amazon’s own Leo network to serve consumer, enterprise and government connectivity.
That news is making investors rethink how quickly deep-pocketed rivals can scale up, lock in spectrum and win carrier partnerships in the direct-to-cell market.
AST SpaceMobile is reacting to that competitive reset after Amazon’s April 14 announcement, as the market starts treating direct-to-device connectivity less like a niche buildout and more like a land grab.
The bigger picture is a potential $200 billion low-Earth orbit opportunity across broadband, wireless and defense, which raises the stakes around who can secure spectrum, distribution and partnerships first.
FCC Review And Three-Player Market Framing Add Pressure
AST SpaceMobile is getting repriced on the idea that Amazon can bundle Globalstar’s spectrum with its own Amazon Leo network to target consumer, enterprise, and government connectivity, tightening the window for smaller players to win carrier slots. That’s the same dynamic that put ASTS under selling pressure earlier in the week as investors rotated on “locked-up spectrum” risk.
Regulatory tone is also turning into a near-term input for the trade, with the FCC chair saying, “We’re very open-minded,” while the agency reviews the paperwork for the Amazon-Globalstar transaction.
That matters for ASTS because faster approvals can accelerate competitor timelines in direct-to-cell, even if the FCC also framed the tech as a “complement” to carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
AST SpaceMobile also has to trade the “three-player” regulatory framing, since the FCC chair explicitly said a “healthy, three-player direct-to-cell market” is the goal. That stance can cut both ways for ASTS: it supports competition, but it also lowers the odds that regulators slow-roll Amazon’s timeline.
Analysts Stay Neutral On AST SpaceMobile Despite Higher Targets
Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold rating with an average price target of $75.52. Recent analyst moves include:
- Barclays: Underweight (Raises Target to $65.00) (April 9)
- UBS: Neutral (Raises Target to $85.00) (March 4)
- B. Riley Securities: Neutral (Lowers Target to $95.00) (Feb. 13)
ASTS Shares Edge Higher Thursday
ASTS Stock Price Activity: AST SpaceMobile shares were up 2.37% at $88.97 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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