AST se perfila como el socio inicial del plan satelital de Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone y Telekom

American satellite group AST is considered the most likely initial partner for the joint venture satellite project being negotiated by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone, and Telefónica, according to EXPANSIÓN sources. The four operators aim to form a joint venture to compete for a one-third share of new frequencies set to be auctioned by the European Commission between 2027 and 2029.

These frequencies, harmonized globally, will allow the provision of worldwide services. The European Commission's proposal, yet to be approved, will divide the 2 GHz spectrum, currently held by US firms, into three blocks. One-third will be allocated primarily to the IRIS2 project, a European public-private satellite constellation with over 300 satellites for government and defense communications.

The remaining two-thirds will be open to third-party countries, with Starlink, SpaceX's satellite constellation, being the favored choice. However, the proposal reserves the last third for commercial direct-to-device (D2D) services for European companies. The European Commission hopes to initially operate with AST, which already partners with Vodafone and has around 11 satellites in orbit, due to its smaller size and more suitable collaboration.

AST is also seen as a safer option because its satellites repeat signals without regeneration, unlike Starlink, making them less vulnerable to interception of telecommunications data and preserving European sovereignty.