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AST SpaceMobile, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 10 August 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Quarterly revenue rose to $31.5 million: Revenue was $31.5 million, against $1.2 million a year earlier: products $24.4 million and services $7.1 million. Management tied it to gateway deliveries and government milestones. Source
  • Net loss widened year on year: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $230.9 million, or $0.77 per Class A share, against $99.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Thirteen satellites now in orbit: Six spacecraft, BlueBird 8 to 13, launched within 50 days, bringing the network to 13 satellites with about 20,000 square feet of combined aperture hardware. Source
  • Over 60 MNO partners signed: Partnerships are signed with more than 60 mobile network operators, which collectively cover over 3 billion subscribers. The company describes this as a partner-first strategy. Source
  • Backlog rose to about $1.30 billion: Backlog combines contracted revenue from commercial partners and U.S. Government contract awards. The release gives no prior-quarter backlog figure. Source
  • Operating expenses rose $165.0 million: Total operating expenses were $329.1 million, up from $164.1 million in the first quarter. Drivers were the $125.9 million involuntary-conversion loss, a $20.3 million G&A increase and an $11.9 million cost-of-revenue increase. Source
  • Cash near $2.7 billion at June 30: Cash, equivalents and restricted cash were about $2.7 billion at June 30, 2026, against $2.8 billion at the start of the year per the cash flow statement. Source
  • Spectrum target of about 100 MHz in U.S.: The spectrum plan combines shared MNO spectrum with controlled MSS spectrum, targeting about 100 MHz in the U.S. and 60+ MHz globally, market by market. Source

“Following the recent orbital launch of BlueBirds 11, 12, and 13, our space-based cellular broadband network has now grown to 13 spacecraft in orbit, each the largest ever in low Earth orbit”

Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Full-year revenue SourceFull year 2026$150.0 million to $200.0 million
Block 2 peak data rate SourceBlock 2 satellites, expectedapproaching 200 Mbps

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The release reports a new joint venture planned by the top three U.S. MNOs to enable space-based cellular broadband to every American. Source
  • New: Japan MIC made a preliminary selection of a Rakuten and AST SpaceMobile joint venture for J-LEO, with total expected value up to about $1 billion in non-dilutive, non-debt government capital. Source
  • New: The company raised $1.150 billion of gross proceeds in July 2026. The July 15 release had proposed $1.0 billion of notes plus an option for up to $150 million. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Quarterly revenue rose to $31.5 million: Revenue was $31.5 million, against $1.2 million a year earlier: products $24.4 million and services $7.1 million. Management tied it to gateway deliveries and government milestones. Source
  • Net loss widened year on year: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $230.9 million, or $0.77 per Class A share, against $99.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Six-month revenue reached $46.3 million: Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026 was $46.3 million, against $1.9 million a year earlier. Services revenue for the six months was $8.4 million. Source

Products and network build

  • Thirteen satellites now in orbit: Six spacecraft, BlueBird 8 to 13, launched within 50 days, bringing the network to 13 satellites with about 20,000 square feet of combined aperture hardware. Source
  • ASIC targets tenfold throughput gain: Management said a proprietary ASIC with up to 10 GHz of processing bandwidth per satellite enables 10x throughput relative to Block 1, with AI-enabled spectrum management. Source
  • Next satellites ready and in production: BlueBirds 14, 15 and 16 are to ship shortly. BlueBird 17 through 46 are in various stages of production and assembly. Source
  • Gateway build-out near 50 sites: Nearly 50 gateways are in various stages of completion, installation and planning ahead of service, as the global gateway footprint is built out. Source

“With the largest phased arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit and a native cellular architecture designed to work directly with standard, unmodified smartphones, we believe we are uniquely positioned to deliver scalable direct-to-device connectivity”

Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Partners and regional rollout

  • Over 60 MNO partners signed: Partnerships are signed with more than 60 mobile network operators, which collectively cover over 3 billion subscribers. The company describes this as a partner-first strategy. Source
  • European integration work under way: Integration and testing are under way with Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone Ukraine and Deutsche Telekom across European countries. Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia are also named. Source
  • Federal emergency work with FirstNet: Federal communications work covers FirstNet in the United States and Japan, and most recently Vodafone Ireland in Europe, using dedicated emergency spectrum bands. Source

Government awards and backlog

  • Backlog rose to about $1.30 billion: Backlog combines contracted revenue from commercial partners and U.S. Government contract awards. The release gives no prior-quarter backlog figure. Source
  • Government awards exceed $125 million: Multiple U.S. Government awards together exceed $125 million, supporting several national-security applications, according to the release. Source
  • Named applications beyond consumer calls: Named application areas include non-communications uses, USG secure communications, additional funded networks, IoT, federal emergency response and AI edge compute. Source

Costs and operating expenses

  • Operating expenses rose $165.0 million: Total operating expenses were $329.1 million, up from $164.1 million in the first quarter. Drivers were the $125.9 million involuntary-conversion loss, a $20.3 million G&A increase and an $11.9 million cost-of-revenue increase. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses up $27.9 million: Adjusted operating expenses, excluding depreciation, amortization and the involuntary-conversion loss, were $119.1 million, against $91.2 million in the first quarter. Adjusted engineering services rose $12.3 million. Source
  • Costs excluding cost of revenues: Adjusted operating expenses excluding adjusted cost of revenues were $95.9 million, compared with $79.8 million in the first quarter. Source

Capital, cash and financing

  • Cash near $2.7 billion at June 30: Cash, equivalents and restricted cash were about $2.7 billion at June 30, 2026, against $2.8 billion at the start of the year per the cash flow statement. Source
  • Pro forma cash above $3.7 billion: After the July 2026 notes proceeds, pro forma cash, equivalents and restricted cash exceeded $3.7 billion as of June 30, 2026. Source
  • Operating outflow and Ligado advance: Cash used in operations was $145.2 million for the six months. Investing included $100.0 million of capital advances to Ligado and $42.1 million of spectrum intangibles. Source
  • Gross capitalized property costs near $2.3 billion: Gross capitalized property and equipment costs reached about $2.3 billion, with $211.9 million of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Costs include BlueBird materials and advance launch payments. Source
  • Long-term debt rose to $2.96 billion: Long-term debt, net was $2.96 billion at June 30, 2026, up from $2.21 billion at December 31, 2025. Source

Spectrum and access to orbit

  • Spectrum target of about 100 MHz in U.S.: The spectrum plan combines shared MNO spectrum with controlled MSS spectrum, targeting about 100 MHz in the U.S. and 60+ MHz globally, market by market. Source
  • Notes proceeds aimed at orbit access: The July 15 release said proceeds would fund growth initiatives and added orbit access, possibly through partnerships or acquisitions, with no agreements in place at that date.
  • Scaling network and vertical integration: Management said it continues to scale the network, advance vertical integration and secure additional access to orbit. Source

Coming up, as management said on 10 August 2026

  • Beta service with strategic partners: The company said it is preparing to initiate beta services with select strategic partners. No start date is given beyond 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Subscribers Sourcenot reported by the company; partner MNOs cover over 3 billion subscribers
Capital expenditure Source$859.2 million purchase of property and equipment, six months ended June 30, 2026

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Network integration in Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia is subject to final regulatory approvals, according to the release. Source
  • Operational: Access to orbit depends on third-party launch providers. The company plans partnerships or acquisitions to reduce that exposure and had no agreements in place at the July date.
  • Financial: Convertible notes carry dilution. The release gives an effective conversion price of $149.20 per share and effective dilution of less than 2%. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said the company is on track for the full-year 2026 revenue range. Source
  • On track: Management described second-quarter revenue as consistent with plans for a quarterly revenue ramp through 2026. Source
  • Not stated: Management cited continued progress toward beta service in 2026, with an initial 3,000 digital cells activated across the Continental United States. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.