This week, we're replaying some of our favorite Forbes stories from 2025.

Today on Forbes, this billionaire immigrant is racing Elon Musk to connect your phone from space.

Last September, a crowd of seasoned spectators gathered at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch as SpaceX's Falcon 9

rocket took flight for the 373rd time. But it wasn't carrying yet another of Elon Musk's

Starlink satellites to join the 7100-plus he has already circling Earth. On board instead were

five satellites from AST Space Mobile, a tiny Starlink

rival that SpaceX has derided as a quote, meme stock in regulatory filings with the federal

government. Each satellite was equipped with a 700 square foot antenna that would unfold in orbit.

An early step in establishing a network,

AST hopes will someday best the incumbent mocking it.

The size of these antennas and the even larger 2400 square foot version that will succeed

them are key to CEO and founder, Abell Avelin's plan, to win a new market. Satellite internet beamed directly to your

phone. In contrast to SpaceX, which uses thousands of satellites to connect residences, businesses,

vehicles, and even the White House to the internet, AST's super large antennas should give it global

coverage with just 90 satellites.

The company plans to launch 60 into orbit by the end of 2026.

The goal is to keep cell phones connected when out of range of a tower.

You'd be able to make calls even when hiking in a remote area or from a boat miles offshore.

Until recently, that required expensive satellite phones

with special hardware. This isn't Starlink's main business. It's $12.3 billion in revenue

largely comes from providing internet to fixed-based stations attached to homes and businesses,

not mobile phones.

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