It may have seemed like a formality when AST SpaceMobile was last week granted a special temporary authority (STA) to test its satellite broadband network in the US. But it was significant in allowing the company to make itself heard against all the clamor around SpaceX’s Starlink, as the one LEO platform operator fully aligned with MNOs. AST SpaceMobile is fully focused on D2D (Direct to Device) with a bold if still rather distant plan to build a global network providing continuous cellular connectivity by satellite capable of backing up terrestrial cellular in some cases and providing primary coverage in others. The STA allows AST SpaceMobile to use Verizon’s and AT&T’s 850 MHz spectrum in combination with its LEO BlueBird…