Space stocks shined on Monday thanks to T-mobile & the Super Bowl with ASTS surging 17%.

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) stock underwent a massive rally Monday despite a lack of news from the space-based cellular broadband network company. Instead, investors can thank T-Mobile (TMUS) for the increase in ASTS stock.

That’s because T-Mobile’s advertisement during the Super Bowl revealed a direct-to-cell (DTC) collaboration with Elon Musk’s Starlink service. This commercial showed off the ability of Starlink satellites to send and receive calls in parts of the U.S. lacking traditional wireless coverage. They can also do so without needing a satellite phone, which is a major win for T-Mobile.

The T-Mobile ad went one step further, outlining that this service will be open to everyone, not just its customers, at least for a limited time. Cellphone owners can sign up for the service for free through July 2025.

What This Means for ASTS Stock

AST SpaceMobile investors were excited that T-Mobile highlighted DTC wireless technology during the Super Bowl, which sent shares 17.65% higher as of this writing. With that comes heavy trading as more than 26 million shares traded hands. This is over three times the company’s three-month daily average trading volume of about 7.13 million units.

DTC wireless technology is still relatively niche and hasn’t reached widespread use. That explains why AST SpaceMobile shareholders celebrated the T-Mobile Super Bowl commercial. It introduced the concept to potentially more than 100 million viewers last night, which could help ASTS’ own services gain recognition.