AST SpaceMobile Down 33% This Month As T-Mobile, Nokia Signal Satellite Connectivity Becoming Standard

According to T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan and recent earnings commentary, AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) stock has slid 33% in July 2026, marking its worst monthly performance in over two years, even as major telecom operators reinforce satellite connectivity's strategic importance. Gopalan stated that while direct-to-cell currently accounts for just 0.0003% of T-Mobile's network usage, satellites will eventually become "table stakes" complementing terrestrial services. He highlighted the May joint venture by T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon to pool spectrum and source satellite capacity from multiple providers, potentially creating openings for AST alongside existing partnerships.

Nokia, which supplies radio access equipment for AST's space-based network under a 2022 agreement, outlined its AI-RAN platform roadmap: pilot deployments by end-2026, commercial availability in 2027, and over 100% spectral-efficiency gains by 2028. Nokia CEO Justin Hotard characterized the shift toward software-defined platforms as fundamentally transforming radio network economics.