stc Group signed a ten-year commercial agreement with AST SpaceMobile to deliver direct-to-device (D2D) satellite broadband services across Saudi Arabia and key markets in the Middle East and Africa.

In a joint statement the companies explained the deal is the first in the region for AST SpaceMobile and involves a $175 million upfront service payment by stc along with a long-term revenue commitment.

AST SpaceMobile plans to build three ground stations in Saudi Arabia along with a network operations centre in Riyadh to manage the service.

The integration of AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network with stc’s terrestrial infrastructure will help extend 4G and 5G coverage to remote areas, they stated.

Consumers, enterprises and government users will gain access to broadband and voice services, with the companies targeting a commercial launch in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals from Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and other regional authorities.

The partners aim to expand mobile coverage to millions of users in underserved areas across stc’s 15-country footprint, which includes subsidiaries in Kuwait and Bahrain.

AST SpaceMobile founder and CEO Abel Avellan said the collaboration “will create a paradigm shift in how people connect” and is “a major leap forward” toward universal broadband coverage.