AT&T deepens ties with AST SpaceMobile and you'll probably benefit from this move – but how about your bill?
JR Wilson, a long-time AT&T executive, has a new position in a new company.
Both AT&T and Verizon were openly mocked by T-Mobile upon the official rollout of the T-Satellite service in July and now, AT&T is making a counter move that will probably be very important for its own satellite service.
After more than 20 years in a variety of roles at AT&T, JR Wilson is making a return to the satellite sector. He has joined AST SpaceMobile as chief of Networks and Spectrum, a shift that brings him back to an industry he worked in early in his career.
Early in his professional life, he worked at Teledesic, a 1990s venture funded by Craig McCaw and Microsoft that aimed to deliver broadband from space. Although the project ultimately did not succeed, Wilson has said that the team was working on ideas that were simply ahead of their time.
At AT&T, Wilson held a number of senior posts, most recently serving as vice president of Towers, Roaming and In-Building commercial strategy, focusing primarily on terrestrial wireless.
Wilson is also well known in the wireless industry for his leadership at the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WAB), where he served as chairman for over a decade. During that period, the group advanced initiatives such as OpenRoaming, which aimed to make connecting to Wi-Fi networks as seamless as cellular roaming.
In a farewell statement issued through the WBA, Wilson reflected on the organization’s growth during his tenure, describing it as a privilege to help guide it through an era of transformation.
With his AT&T expertise, I'm sure that Wilson will be of great aid when it comes to boosting and enhancing the carrier's satellite-related dreams.
Things are already in motion, as on July 21, AT&T and AST SpaceMobile claimed to have pulled off a first in telecom history. They made a regular phone call and sent a text using an everyday cell phone, but instead of connecting through cell towers, the signal went straight to AST's Block 1 satellites. The call and text traveled over AT&T's spectrum and through its core network, just like a normal connection on the ground.
That's incredible and the deeper carriers dive on the satellite front, the more we as end users will benefit. While I don't expect our bills to get lower, it could be the case that one day, we might get (slightly) more for the same monthly fee. Got to keep positive, folks.
After more than 20 years in a variety of roles at AT&T, JR Wilson is making a return to the satellite sector. He has joined AST SpaceMobile as chief of Networks and Spectrum, a shift that brings him back to an industry he worked in early in his career.
At AT&T, Wilson held a number of senior posts, most recently serving as vice president of Towers, Roaming and In-Building commercial strategy, focusing primarily on terrestrial wireless.
His move to AST SpaceMobile is seen as a significant gain for the satellite company. Wilson has long spoken publicly about the potential of the technology AST is pursuing. The company is working on direct-to-device satellite services that can connect unmodified smartphones, and in 2023, AT&T became an early partner by leasing 850 MHz of terrestrial cellular spectrum to support the effort. Of course, Verizon later entered the picture with its own $100 million investment and matching spectrum lease.
Wilson is also well known in the wireless industry for his leadership at the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WAB), where he served as chairman for over a decade. During that period, the group advanced initiatives such as OpenRoaming, which aimed to make connecting to Wi-Fi networks as seamless as cellular roaming.
This moment brings both a deep sense of pride and a genuine feeling of sadness. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life to help guide WBA through an extraordinary period of transformation and growth. [...] Today, WBA stands as a unique and globally respected industry voice — and I could not be prouder of what we have accomplished.
– JR Wilson in an WBA announcement, 2025
In a farewell statement issued through the WBA, Wilson reflected on the organization’s growth during his tenure, describing it as a privilege to help guide it through an era of transformation.
That's incredible and the deeper carriers dive on the satellite front, the more we as end users will benefit. While I don't expect our bills to get lower, it could be the case that one day, we might get (slightly) more for the same monthly fee. Got to keep positive, folks.
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