AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS), has announced successful deployment of the communications array for its test satellite, the BlueWalker 3.  The company says that the BW3 satellite represents the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit.

The array is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies at 5G speeds. AST says that the satellite spans 693 square feet in size, which represents a design feature critical to support a space-based cellular broadband network. The satellite is expected to have a field of view reaching over 300,000 square miles across Earth’s surface.

Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile stated: “Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work. Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world. The successful unfolding of BlueWalker 3 is a major step forward for our patented space-based cellular broadband technology and paves the way for the ongoing production of our BlueBird satellites.”

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio. The company has a portfolio of more than 2,400 patent and patent-pending claims supporting its space-based cellular broadband technology.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ASTS.