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Spectrum Usage Rights and Related Financing | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Spectrum Usage Rights and Related Financing | 14. Spectrum Usage Rights and Related Financing On January 5, 2025, AST LLC entered into a binding agreement (the “Strategic Collaboration Term Sheet”) with Ligado LLC under which the Company will receive long-term access to up to 45 MHz of lower mid-band spectrum in the United States and Canada for direct-to-device satellite applications. The Strategic Collaboration Term Sheet was entered into as part of the restructuring of Ligado LLC, which together with certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries (together with Ligado LLC, “Ligado”) filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (“Bankruptcy Court”). On March 22, 2025, pursuant to the Strategic Collaboration Term Sheet, the Company, AST LLC, Spectrum USA I, LLC, a subsidiary of AST LLC (“SpectrumCo”) and Ligado entered into certain definitive agreements that, among other things, provided for (1) a $550.0 million contingent payment from the Company to Ligado, (2) SpectrumCo’s obligation to make spectrum access usage payments of at least $80.0 million annually (“L-band Annual Payment”) (with the option to pay the excess of the amount owed by Ligado to utilize the L-band spectrum in Class A Common Stock of the Company for the first three years), and revenue share payments in exchange for the right to use up to 40 MHz of the L-band spectrum, (3) the Company’s obligation to pay a usage fee amount due in cash (plus a 30% premium with respect to each such payment payable, at the Company’s discretion, in cash or in Class A Common Stock of the Company) (the “Crown Castle Annual Payment”) for the right to use up to 5 MHz of the 1670-1675 MHz spectrum, and (4) issuance of 4,714,226 penny warrants, each of which entitles the holder to purchase one whole share of Class A Common Stock at a price of $0.01 per share (“Penny Warrants”), to Ligado. The Penny Warrants are equity classified and accounted for as non-employee share-based payments under ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation, with a grant date fair value of approximately $121.2 million. On June 13, 2025, the Company announced a Settlement Term Sheet (the “Term Sheet”) among various parties including the Company, Ligado, Viasat, Inc. and Inmarsat Global Limited (“Inmarsat”). Pursuant to the Term Sheet, as long as Ligado’s Chapter 11 plan is confirmed and as long as the financial sponsors of Ligado provide a backstop commitment to Ligado that is acceptable to the Company, in support of a full refund of payments by Ligado in the event applicable regulatory approvals are not obtained and the closing does not occur (the “Backstop Commitment”), the Company agreed that, with respect to the $550.0 million otherwise owed to Ligado in connection with the Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction, the Company will pay $420.0 million to Ligado for the benefit of Inmarsat on October 31, 2025, $100.0 million to Ligado for the benefit of Inmarsat on March 31, 2026 and $15.0 million to Ligado for the benefit of Inmarsat on receipt of specified regulatory approvals and the closing of the Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction. The remaining $15.0 million would be payable to Ligado at the closing. On June 23, 2025, the Bankruptcy Court approved the transactions (the “Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction”) contemplated in the Strategic Collaboration Term Sheet. On or about September 29, 2025, the Bankruptcy Court confirmed Ligado’s Chapter 11 plan. On October 31, 2025, the Company made the $420.0 million payment to Ligado for the benefit of Inmarsat and presented the $420.0 million payment as capital advances to Ligado within Other non-current assets in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The remaining obligations in the Term Sheet constitute an off-balance sheet commitment as of December 31, 2025 whose obligations were not recognized in the consolidated financial statements. The Backstop Commitment provided by Ligado’s financial sponsors has been memorialized in an amendment to Ligado’s debtor in possession financing arrangements and has been approved by the Bankruptcy Court. The funds under the $520.0 million Backstop Commitment will be available to be drawn by Ligado only in the event the applicable regulatory approvals are not obtained in accordance with the definitive documents between the Company and Ligado, and is subject to the satisfaction of certain other limited conditions. The proceeds of the Backstop Commitment can only be used to refund the Company for the amount that we paid to Ligado for the benefit of Inmarsat prior to receipt of the applicable regulatory approvals. To support consideration payments in connection with the Ligado Transaction, on July 15, 2025 (the “Credit Facility Closing Date”), SpectrumCo entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Sound Point Agency LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lenders from time to time party thereto. SpectrumCo has not yet drawn any funds under the Sound Point Credit Agreement. The Sound Point Credit Agreement provides for a non-recourse senior-secured delayed-draw term loan facility (“Sound Point Credit Facility”) in an aggregate principal amount of $550.0 million (“Loan Amount”). Subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, the Credit Facility will be available to SpectrumCo to draw until October 5, 2026 with an option to extend for an additional 180 days (“Availability Period”) subject to payment of an additional 1% fee on the Loan Amount. The Sound Point Credit Facility will be available to SpectrumCo upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, among others, (i) entry into security documents and other related documents, (ii) receipt of all required regulatory and Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) approvals relating to the Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction, (iii) occurrence of certain bankruptcy-related events pertaining to Ligado and (iv) certain other customary conditions to funding. The Sound Point Credit Facility will be secured by substantially all of the assets of SpectrumCo and the newly formed subsidiary that will purchase and collect the receivables associated with the revenues generated from use of the L-band spectrum (“RevenueCo”). RevenueCo will also act as a guarantor under the Sound Point Credit Facility. SpectrumCo’s assets are not available to satisfy the claims of creditors of the Company or AST LLC. Neither the Company nor AST LLC will be liable as a borrower or guarantor or otherwise for any payments owing in connection with the Sound Point Credit Facility, and the lenders’ recourse to the assets of AST LLC will be limited to AST LLC’s equity interests both in SpectrumCo and in RevenueCo. The Sound Point Credit Facility required SpectrumCo to pay a commitment fee equal to 2% of the Loan Amount, which SpectrumCo has fully paid. The Sound Point Credit Facility also includes a ticking fee equal to 0.15% of the Loan Amount payable on a monthly basis from the Credit Facility Closing Date to the date the Sound Point Credit Facility is drawn. If SpectrumCo terminates the Sound Point Credit Facility prior to the end of the Availability Period, SpectrumCo will be required to pay a termination fee, payable in cash or shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock at SpectrumCo’s option, ranging from 1% to 5% of the Loan Amount depending on when SpectrumCo terminates the Sound Point Credit Facility. The Sound Point Credit Facility also requires SpectrumCo to pay an upfront fee equal to 3% of the Loan Amount that will become payable when SpectrumCo draws on the Sound Point Credit Facility (and will act as a reduction to proceeds received) and other fees, which became payable starting from the Credit Facility Closing Date. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized $4.0 million for the amortization of the commitment fee within Interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The remaining unamortized commitment fee was presented within Other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets. In addition to the Sound Point Credit Agreement, which has not been drawn under, on October 31, 2025, BackstopCo entered into the UBS Loan Agreement with UBS AG, Stamford Branch, as lender. Refer to Note 7 Debt for details. As of December 31, 2025, the Company recorded $185.6 million of advanced consideration for the spectrum usage rights asset being acquired by the Company through the Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction within Intangible assets, net in the consolidated balance sheets that consisted of $121.2 million representing the grant date fair value of the Penny Warrants issued to Ligado, $41.6 million in payments made or accrued towards the L-band Annual Payment and $18.5 million in payments made towards the Crown Castle Annual Payment, and approximately $4.3 million of direct third-party transaction costs. The closing of the Spectrum Usage Rights Transaction is still subject to receipt of satisfactory regulatory approvals required for the proposed use of the spectrum, as well as other closing conditions.

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