RCS - Vodafone Group Plc - Vodafone & Rakuten lead investors in SpaceMobile

VodafoneAnnouncement

03/03/2020 07:00

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RNS Number : 7666E  Vodafone Group Plc  03 March 2020

RAKUTEN AND VODAFONE INVEST IN AST & SCIENCE'S SPACE VENTURE TO REACH

MORE PEOPLE, DEVICES AND PLACES WITH MOBILE COVERAGE

 

 ·   AST & Science's space-based network will be the first to connect directly
     to 4G - and in the future 5G - smartphones without any need for specialised
     satellite hardware.
 ·   Other investors include: American Tower; Cisneros; Samsung NEXT; and founder
     Abel Avellan.
 ·   The new investment brings the total capital raised by AST & Science to
     US$128 million.

 

TOKYO, LONDON, TEXAS- March 3, 2020 - Rakuten and Vodafone have become the
lead investors in a venture to extend mobile coverage to more people and
devices across the planet, using the first mobile broadband network that will
be broadcast from space.

 

Branded SpaceMobile, the low-Earth-orbit (LEO), low-latency satellite network
from AST & Science will be the first in the world to connect directly to
standard smartphones. The company holds an extensive patent and IP portfolio
for its ground and space technologies.

 

"SpaceMobile will be particularly transformative to the growing US$1 trillion
annual global mobile market because it will eliminate the coverage gaps faced
by today's five billion mobile subscribers moving in and out of connectivity
every day. It will also help the world's most under-served communities to
access the latest mobile services much sooner than predicted, helping more
people to access the digital economy," said Abel Avellan, AST & Science
chairman and CEO.

 

AST & Science will initially offer 4G services to partner networks
globally, with 5G delivered in the future. The SpaceMobile network will enable
seamless roaming to and from terrestrial cellular networks at comparable data
rates without any need for specialised satellite hardware.

 

In addition to its investment in AST & Science, Vodafone has agreed to a
strategic partnership and will contribute technical, operational and
regulatory expertise in support of the global deployment of SpaceMobile.

 

Nick Read, CEO, Vodafone Group, said: "At Vodafone we want to ensure everyone
benefits from a digital society - that no-one is left behind. We believe
SpaceMobile is uniquely placed to provide universal mobile coverage, further
enhancing our leading network across Europe and Africa - especially in rural
areas and during a natural or humanitarian disaster - for customers on their
existing smartphones."

 

"AST & Science's SpaceMobile venture is a perfect fit for us," said Mickey
Mikitani, chairman and CEO of Rakuten. "Our investment is part of our broader
strategy to become a leading mobile network operator in Japan and a global
solution provider to markets around the world. Rakuten's strategic investment
with AST & Science has the potential to support our efforts to connect
users across Japan through mobile innovation, expanding national coverage from
metropolitan to remote areas and bolstering the network in times of natural
disaster."

 

AST & Science successfully tested its SpaceMobile technology aboard the
BlueWalker 1 satellite, launched in April 2019, and has been further
validating the technology following that initial flight.

 

The new investment brings the total capital raised by AST & Science to
US$128 million, including the early investments from Cisneros and founder Abel
Avellan. Barclays served as financial advisor to the company.

 

- ends -

 

Media Contacts:

 

Vodafone Group

   Media Relations
 www.vodafone.com/media/contact (http://www.vodafone.com/media/contact)

 

For AST & Science

Scott Cianciulli

The Plunkett Group

(212) 739-6753

scott@theplunkettgroup.com (mailto:scott@theplunkettgroup.com)

 

For Rakuten

Corporate Communications Department

Rakuten, Inc.

global-pr@mail.rakuten.com

(+81) 50-5817-1104

 

 

About AST & Science

AST & Science is building the first, and only, broadband cellular network
in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on
our extensive IP and patent portfolio. Our team of engineers and space
scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by
today's five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the
billions who remain unconnected. Learn more at www.ast-science.com
(http://www.ast-science.com) .

 

About Rakuten

Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower
individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as
an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce,
fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.4 billion
members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 20,000 employees, and
operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/ (https://global.rakuten.com/corp/) .

 

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group is one of the world's leading telecoms and technology service
providers. We have extensive experience in connectivity, convergence and the
Internet of Things, as well as championing mobile financial services and
digital transformation in emerging markets.

 

Vodafone Group has mobile operations in 24 countries, partners with mobile
networks in 42 more, and fixed broadband operations in 19 markets. As of 31
December 2019, Vodafone Group had approximately 625 million mobile customers,
27 million fixed broadband customers and 22 million TV customers, including
all of the customers in Vodafone's joint ventures and associates. For more
information, please visit: www.vodafone.com.

 

 

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