Hyderabad, Jul 24 (PTI) AST SpaceMobile, a company building a space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, on Monday, announced the opening of a new research and development services hub and space technology development centre in Hyderabad.

Narayana Pidugu, a veteran of the technology and space industries who joined the company earlier this year, will direct the new facility as General Manager and Vice President of Global R&D services, a release said here.

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"About two-thirds of people in India live in rural areas. So AST SpaceMobile's mission to connect the unconnected holds major significance to this country," Pidugu said.

"The state-of-the-art facility will focus on next-generation hardware, software, space-related technologies and operations," the release said.

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The Hyderabad site, located within a technology park in Salarpuria Sattva Knowledge City, is expected to host a research and development laboratory, network operations centre and engineering space. The operation aims to attract exceptional talent pouring out of India to the heart of country's fast-growing technology capital and further advance AST SpaceMobile's mission, it said.

Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, which is headquartered in Midland, Texas, attended the facility's inauguration today.

"Over the years, we have significantly benefited from collaborating with many talented scientists and engineers in India," Avellan said.

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