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Why AST SpaceMobile Is the Bigger Winner of the AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Joint Venture
By Jessica Mitacek. Date Posted: 5/20/2026.
Key Points
- AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced a proposed joint venture to expand satellite-based direct-to-device wireless coverage and reduce U.S. cellular dead zones.
- As an existing partner to these carriers, AST SpaceMobile stands to benefit from an expanded addressable market, reduced commercial risk, and industry validation for its space-based cellular network.
- This alliance will allow carriers to maintain control over satellite connectivity terms and directly challenge SpaceX’s Starlink market dominance by fostering a more competitive D2D landscape.
- Special Report: The Biggest IPO Ever: Claim Your Stake Today
A trio of mega-cap communication services providers just announced a joint venture to extend mobile connectivity for wireless customers by using satellite-based, direct-to-device technologies.
Last week, AT&T (NYSE: T), T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS), and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) announced an initiative to deliver resilient connectivity and create the best and most diverse ecosystem for wireless and satellite products and services.
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See the stock positioned to solve AI's biggest power crisisAccording to a press release, “the proposed collaboration by the three largest U.S. mobile network operators is expected to accelerate technical integration, enhance the customer experience, improve coverage, and help eliminate dead zones across the United States in partnership with the entire wireless industry.”
That’s good news for customers in areas with weak or no connectivity. But it’s even better news for shareholders of space-based, direct-to-device (D2D) cellular broadband network provider and aerospace upstart AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS).
AST SpaceMobile’s Strategic Partnerships Are Central to Its Growth Story
Following a galactic Q1 2026 earnings miss on May 11, the SpaceX competitor has actually seen its stock rise.
Shares of ASTS are up more than 5% since reporting earnings, as the miss failed to overshadow the fact that the company remains in aggressive growth mode.
Its BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 satellites are tentatively scheduled for mid-June deployment as the company aims to have approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of this year. And while AST SpaceMobile’s growth trajectory has played a role in its recent stock performance, so too has the announcement of the joint venture through three of its existing strategic partners.
The decision by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to join forces in an effort to fill coverage gaps through satellite-based D2D technologies is an immediate boon for AST SpaceMobile. The first and perhaps most obvious reason is that the announcement serves as validation for the telecom industry’s expansion into space-based services.
By combining forces with their biggest rivals, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are demonstrating how their massive subscriber bases will have access to AST SpaceMobile’s offerings via a unified platform.
An AT&T press release noted that “collectively, satellite services function as supplementary components to the core wireless services customers depend on,” adding that “by collaborating on this [joint venture], the partners will be able to enhance convenience for their customers, enable competition and foster innovation and growth within the industry.”
The move will immediately expand AST SpaceMobile’s total addressable market in the United States, supporting the early-revenue company’s efforts to rapidly expand its BlueBird satellite constellation while lowering systemic commercial risk.
The Joint Venture Is a Challenge to SpaceX’s Grip on the Space-Based D2D Market
While the three major carriers boast 4G LTE and 5G networks capable of reaching up to 99% of the U.S. population, those services are highly concentrated.
In terms of actual geography, there are roughly 500,000 square miles of U.S. land that falls into a terrestrial dead zone.
That has been a massive opportunity for SpaceX’s Starlink, which provides D2D services via Starlink Mobile, most notably through T-Mobile’s communications network. As a result, the Elon Musk-led company controls an estimated 90% of the commercial satellite broadband market and 60% of all active broadband-providing satellites.
According to Wireless Estimator, that market dominance was the principal motivator for the big three carriers to create an alliance, which enables them to circumvent Musk’s ability to dictate service terms. The joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon signals a push for a more competitive landscape, which will enable multiple space-based operators—including AST SpaceMobile—to take market share from SpaceX.
The competitive ambitions were reinforced by comments from AT&T CEO John Stankey, who, in the wake of the agreement, said, "This collaboration not only makes connectivity easier; it strengthens America’s communications leadership."
In the same article, Wireless Estimator noted that the joint venture sends a message to the market—and to potential SpaceX investors—that the companies intend to maintain control over how satellite connectivity reaches their customers.
As the primary D2D broadband service competitor to Starlink, AST SpaceMobile is poised to benefit from that more competitive environment.
Investors Will Need to Remain Patient
Long term, the growth story remains intact.
The Midland, Texas-based company’s stock continues to face elevated volatility, as evidenced by its current beta of 2.60.
However, the company’s balance sheet looks strong despite a sizable debt load that is typical of high-growth companies.
AST SpaceMobile reported $3.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash as of March 31. Additionally, its financial health has been in the TradeSmith Green Zone for over 13 months.
The company only recently began generating revenue, but backing from partners including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD), real estate investment trust American Tower (NYSE: AMT), Google, and the U.S. federal government suggests the company still has meaningful long-term potential despite continued stock volatility. Buy-and-hold investors who can mute the short-term noise are likely to be rewarded.
Japan's Stealth Bull Market: How U.S. Investors Can Get Exposure
Submitted by Chris Markoch. Article Posted: 5/17/2026.
Key Points
- Japan’s corporate governance reforms are driving stronger shareholder returns through buybacks, dividends, and improved capital efficiency.
- ETFs like EWJ and DXJ provide investors with different ways to gain exposure to Japanese equities, including currency-hedged strategies.
- Sony and Toyota offer contrasting opportunities, with Sony focused on diversified technology growth and Toyota representing a higher-risk turnaround play.
- Special Report: The Biggest IPO Ever: Claim Your Stake Today
Japanese stocks have been an attractive option for investors seeking exposure outside of U.S. equities. Several factors have driven the multi-year rally, including corporate governance reform, record shareholder returns, and a weak yen.
The governance overhaul began with Japan's Stewardship and Corporate Governance Codes in 2014–15. This pushed companies to prioritize shareholder value over the old habits of cash hoarding and cross-shareholdings, where companies held each other's stock to strengthen business relationships rather than generate returns.
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Goldman Sachs just revealed that 40% of AI data centers will be crippled by electricity shortages by 2027 - not chips, not funding, but power. Demand is growing 15% per year and the grid can't keep up.
One small company makes the exact equipment these data centers need. They're sitting on $1.5 billion in orders, their hardware is already inside Musk's Colossus, and the stock still trades like a name nobody's heard of. Analyst Dylan Jovine is releasing the ticker for free.
See the stock positioned to solve AI's biggest power crisisOver a decade later, the overhaul has produced tangible results: more than 90% of listed companies now have meaningful independent board representation. In addition, the Tokyo Stock Exchange has ramped up pressure by threatening to delist companies that fail to meet capital efficiency standards.
This pressure has unlocked a wave of shareholder returns. Share buybacks have risen nearly 6x over the past decade; dividends have doubled, and companies are increasingly canceling repurchased shares outright rather than warehousing them.
The weak yen has amplified the story. After losing roughly a third of its trade-weighted value over four years, the yen has boosted the overseas earnings of Japanese exporters and made Japanese assets more attractively priced for foreign buyers, drawing record foreign inflows in 2025.
Has the Japan Trade Run Its Course?
Not yet, but there are risks. The biggest would be a recovery in the yen, which would squeeze exporter margins. Valuations are also less compelling than they were, and despite the progress that’s been made, many companies are still dragging their feet on reform.
That said, those are largely short-term concerns in a long-term bull market. Japan’s equity market is in the middle of a structural shift that could make it compelling for long-term investors.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF Offers Broad Exposure to Japan
Many investors will choose exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as a way to gain exposure to Japanese stocks. One option is the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA: EWJ). The fund invests in a representative sample of securities in the MSCI Japan Index.
The fund has 184 holdings, but the key is that its holdings are weighted toward technology and industrials. These sectors face headwinds from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but they also stand to benefit most from a reversal.
EWJ is up 12% in 2026 as of this writing. It’s also up 25% over the last 12 months and 35% over the last five years. That performance isn’t bad, but it does reflect the impact of a weakening yen.
The fund does have an expense ratio of around 0.5%, which is considered expensive.
But it has over $21 million in assets under management (AUM) and an average daily trading volume of around nine million shares.
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund Removes Currency Risk
The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEARCA: DXJ) takes a different approach that investors may appreciate. The fund gives U.S. investors exposure to Japanese equities while hedging out the yen-dollar exchange rate.
That removes the drag of yen fluctuations, which shows up in the fund’s performance. DXJ is up over 50% in the last 12 months and an impressive 185% over the last five years.
What may be even more attractive to investors is the fund’s structure.
It focuses on dividend-paying, export-oriented Japanese stocks that are typically associated more with value than growth.
The fund has an expense ratio of 0.48% and over $6.6 billion in AUM as of this writing.
Sony Balances Growth Opportunities With Near-Term Challenges
Investors considering single-stock exposure would do well to consider Sony Group (NYSE: SONY). The stock is up almost 500% over the last five years, though it’s down more than 10% in 2026.
That reflects the diverse nature of the company’s business, which spans consumer electronics, gaming hardware, an electric vehicle venture, and audio intellectual property.
SONY delivered mixed Q4 earnings for its 2026 fiscal year on May 7, with a beat on revenue offset by lighter-than-expected earnings per share.
The company will also face pressure from rising memory costs and supply shortages.
That’s one reason analysts may currently rate the stock a Hold. But at 17x forward earnings, Sony remains a solid choice for long-term growth and value.
Toyota Could Be a Contrarian Opportunity in Japanese Stocks
Toyota Motors (NYSE: TM) is the asymmetric play among Japanese stocks. TM is down 10% year-to-date and is only up about 20% over the last five years. That reflects the issues that have beset the auto industry.
Toyota delivered mixed results in its Q4 earnings for its 2026 fiscal year. Looking ahead, the company still expects tariff headwinds. Toyota also acknowledged that its business transformation initiatives aren’t complete, which leaves unclear when it will achieve its goal of 20% ROE (return on equity).
That said, TM still has a consensus price target of $290, which would imply a gain of over 50%. There’s a lot that has to go in the company’s favor, but for investors willing to accept the risk, there could be a market-beating return.
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