Mergers & Acquisitions ·
AST SpaceMobile and Rakuten form Rakuten AST JV to build Japan D2D satellite network
ASTSAST SpaceMobile, Inc.
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. and Rakuten Group, Inc. established Rakuten AST, Inc., a joint venture in which Rakuten holds 51% and AST SpaceMobile holds 49%. The entity will deploy low Earth orbit satellites to provide direct-to-device cellular broadband connectivity using smartphones across Japan by March 2029. The project is supported by up to approximately $1 billion in funding from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications under the J-LEO initiative. AST SpaceMobile will supply the satellite hardware while Rakuten manages operations within Japan, with plans to expand services globally subject to regulatory approval. AST SpaceMobile builds space-based cellular broadband networks accessible directly by standard mobile devices.