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AST Space Mobile#

NZNOG 2026 digest Program Wildcard pick 26–27 March 2026

Recording

Simon Allard (2degrees)

Play the recording: AST Space Mobile

  • Why: Direct-to-device satellite is a genuine architectural shift in coverage economics — a terrestrial mobile operator integrating an LEO constellation via its own ground station is novel infrastructure work outside the PM's usual beat but worth seeing.
  • What: How AST SpaceMobile's satellite array provides mobile coverage where terrestrial networks can't, and how 2degrees is integrating the service into its network, including a 2degrees-built ground station (from abstract only).
  • How: The technical detail (spectrum sharing with terrestrial LTE, ground-station integration, handover behaviour) is promised in the talk; the abstract stays at the "how it works" overview level.
  • Where applicable: Mobile operators; NZ-specific integration but representative of a global D2D trend.