Rakuten, AST unveil Japan satellite JV

AST SpaceMobile and Rakuten Group have formed a joint venture called Rakuten AST to build a direct-to-device network in Japan using low Earth orbit satellites. The venture is backed by JPY148 billion in funding from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and aims to commence domestic operations in March 2029. Additionally, Rakuten Mobile plans to begin commercial testing of a direct-to-device service before the end of the year using existing AST SpaceMobile infrastructure. Open article →