As anyone that knows me will know, I am one of many words. I like to communicate and so does humanity!
This post won’t be long by my usual standards (hopefully!) but is worth considering by would-be AST SpaceMobile and EnSilica investors, as I think recent events in the Highlands of Scotland portend an increasing future worldwide reliance on services by companies such as AST, who utilise integrated circuits designed by EnSilica for their Block 2 BlueBird satellites.
Unless you have your head in a bush, you’ll know that our weather is changing and not for the better for many of us. Storms are becoming more frequent and more intense. With that comes increasing challenges in communications. AST SpaceMobile may have a solution to a good number of those challenges, with an anticipated offering that is being rolled out in the coming year that will enable cell / mobile calls via satellite directly to your phone in many cases.
I volunteer alongside many good people in an emergency rescue team, helping others in times of need. Storm Amy is a prime example of the possible impact of increasingly intense storms upon communities, and particularly those within that provide assistance. In times past, Britain for example could rely upon operator powered analogue telephones for urgent communications, however this service is coming to an end, in fact for many including us, it has already ceased to exist.
I originally wrote this post while without mains power for three days and nights after the storm, and largely thanks to forward planning with battery storage, but reassuringly with the safety net of the kind assistance of friends with a generator. The local mobile / cell phone network was down and still is five days later. As an emergency responder I feel somewhat helpless, since we did not have effective communications as a team without the mobile / cell network or fixed line communications. Yes, we have VHF radios, but trust me, in the mountains of the Highlands they are not much use at times. Fortunately we do have access to a satellite phone, at notable personal cost to a member of our team, so if we did need to muster, then we could, albeit far slower than usual.
So there is a strong use case for emergency responders, but in addition to this I can foresee in time that members of the public may increasingly see satellite to phone communications as a must have also. Take for example last weekend with the storm, where I observed a good number of people driving a fair distance for cell / mobile calls (me included) and this suggests healthy future demand in my opinion.
That my friends, is why I see great value in both AST SpaceMobile, which is scheduled to launch its new service in the coming year, along with EnSilica whose expertly designed chips enable AST’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites. You may want to consider investing in them for the coming years in my opinion.
If your curiosity in EnSilica (London: ENSI) has been piqued then for further reading you may want to read an article I wrote that was recently published on Reddit’s Investing sub as well as leading investment research platform Simply Wall St…
Why EnSilica is Worth Possibly 13x its Current Price (Updated)
byu/_DoubleBubbler_ ininvesting
Why EnSilica Enabled AST SpaceMobile is the future of communications imo!
byu/_DoubleBubbler_ inDoubleBubbler
In response to this post on Reddit a comment was made. It and my reply are below.
Comment: ‘You didn’t explain why specifically EnSilica enabled asts to do this, that is the title after all and why i read this. The emergency communication use has been acknowledged and discussed at length for years already.‘
My reply: ‘Thanks for the feedback. I clearly stated ‘EnSilica whose expertly designed chips enable AST’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites’ however for those not aware or who like detail such as you and I… I believe EnSilica carried out the AST5000 ASIC custom design work in collaboration with Cadence Systems ‘tools, flow and IP’. Here are some links worth reading…
https://www.ensilica.com/news/ast-ensilica-asic-chip/
https://www.everythingrf.com/news/details/19366-ast-spacemobile-using-cadence-tools-to-develop-the-first-space-based-global-cellular-broadband-network
As for something having been discussed at ‘length for years already’ I can’t see an issue with highlighting the situation given recent storm events personally. People have discussed ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ for decades yet still discuss it. Some books have also been discussed for millennia. I find that if someone is talking about something I already know, I tell them and encourage the conversation in a different direction as long as it is enjoyable. Otherwise I get back to planning for building a new Shielbridge Hall…
https://www.reddit.com/r/DoubleBubbler/comments/1nyp054/musings_i_have_a_dream_if_you_read_anything_on/
Now out of our way Xaffodd says! 😉
/crosses fingers hoping you have a sense of humour.’