New York, Jan 6, 2026, 19:29 EST — After-hours
- ASTS rose more than 7% in regular trade before dipping in extended hours.
- Investors are tracking AT&T’s plan to start a limited satellite-to-phone beta in the first half of 2026.
- Focus shifts to the next BlueBird launch update and the company’s next earnings window in early March.
AST SpaceMobile shares rose 7.2% in Tuesday’s regular session and were down 1.8% to $95.75 in after-hours trading.
The latest move underscores how quickly investors are repricing satellite-to-phone coverage as U.S. wireless carriers look for ways to plug dead zones without building more towers. For AST SpaceMobile, steps toward a beta are the clearest near-term marker that its space-based cellular strategy is moving from tests to early commercialization.
AT&T said it expects to start offering a “beta” direct-to-device satellite service in the first half of this year, initially to “a select number” of consumer customers and FirstNet public safety users, with a commercial launch to follow. An AT&T spokesperson said it was still too early to give a specific date for when the offer would move beyond the beta phase; the carrier also said more ground gateways are needed to support a broader rollout. In the U.S. market, AT&T and Verizon are backing AST’s approach, while T-Mobile has teamed with SpaceX’s Starlink, and Apple relies on Globalstar for satellite messaging. Light Reading
AST says its next-generation BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver high-speed cellular broadband directly to standard smartphones. The company said its first next-gen satellite, BlueBird 6, launched on Dec. 23, and it is promoting a coming BlueBird 7 launch webcast.
AST SpaceMobile traded between $89.85 and $97.89 on Tuesday, with volume of about 18.2 million shares. Traders are watching whether the stock can build support near the $90 area and make a sustained push toward the $100 level.
Options activity also picked up. TipRanks’ The Fly said options volume ran well above average, with calls leading puts — a put/call ratio (calls traded divided by puts traded) of 0.66 — while implied volatility, a market-based gauge of expected swings, rose and pointed to an expected daily move of about $6.34.
But the timeline remains the key risk. Satellite launches, regulatory clearances and the build-out of ground infrastructure can slip, and any delay would push out commercial service and revenue expectations that have helped drive the stock’s sharp moves.
Investors will also look ahead to the next quarterly update, which Zacks expects around March 2, for any changes to launch cadence, spending and partner rollout targets.
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