(Credit: AST SpaceMobile)
AST SpaceMobile has received the green light to operate satellite-to-phone services in the US, setting the stage for the company to compete against SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile.
On Tuesday, AST secured FCC approval to operate the entirety of its 248-satellite constellation and offer “supplemental coverage from space,” including outside the US.
“This action allows AST to dramatically improve services in the United States and globally,” the FCC said, noting the company can use the satellite technology to deliver connectivity to consumer devices in cellular dead zones.
It’s good news for AST after the company suffered a setback on Sunday when a Blue Origin rocket failed to deliver one of the company’s "BlueBird" satellites into the right orbit, causing it to be lost and apparently burn up back in the atmosphere.
Like Starlink Mobile, AST’s goal is to offer high-speed broadband to smartphones in dead zones, including the ability to make video calls. The company’s satellites have stood out for their extremely large antennas. Each BlueBird promises to operate as an orbiting cell tower capable of delivering voice, data, and video to unmodified smartphones on the ground.
(Credit: AST SpaceMobile)In 2024, the FCC gave AST SpaceMobile partial clearance to operate its first five BlueBird satellites, but deferred on the company’s request to offer satellite-to-phone services. Tuesday’s decision paves the way for AST to offer real services to consumers and launch the rest of its proposed satellite constellation at various low-Earth orbits at and around 530 kilometers.
In addition, AST has also been authorized to deliver cellular coverage from space using radio spectrum from two key partners, AT&T and Verizon. However, the grant only covers lower bands, from 698 to 960MHz, rather than the mid-band spectrum that AST acquired last year.
The FCC is also permitting AST to use the 430 to 440MHz radio band as an emergency way to control and track its satellites, despite concerns about interference from the amateur “ham” radio community. That said, the FCC is imposing certain conditions, including that AST can only use the 430.5MHz, 432.3MHz, 434.1MHz, 435.9MHz, and 439.5MHz bands, but only for a period of under 24 hours for emergency telemetry and tracking operations.
The FCC determined that “AST has shown that harmful interference from AST’s transmissions to other authorized operations, including to amateur operations, in the 430-440MHz band is extremely unlikely, and, if such interference should occur, AST is capable of ceasing such transmissions.”
The commission also noted: “We have continued to not receive any complaints of harmful interference for AST’s already-authorized operations in the 430-440MHz band.” The radio bands serve as a fallback since the company also has authorization to use the 2000 MHz bands for satellite tracking and telemetry.
The FCC issued the approval, even though T-Mobile and SpaceX raised concerns about potential interference and satellite collision risks. The competition to deliver satellite-to-phone services has been heating up. Earlier this month, Amazon announced it’s spending over $11 billion to acquire Apple partner Globalstar to deliver satellite connectivity to smartphones. Meanwhile, SpaceX has been laying the groundwork for huge upgrades to Starlink Mobile, which is currently available from T-Mobile, but with limited bandwidth.
The main challenge facing AST has been launching its satellites. Currently, the company only has six BlueBird satellites in orbit, along with the company’s original test satellite, BlueWalker 3. The company needs between 45 and 60 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026 in order to offer robust coverage in the US. But Sunday’s botched deployment of the seventh BlueBird satellite may spark some doubts about whether it can offer a commercial service later this year.
In response to the Blue Origin setback, AST noted it’s already producing BlueBird satellite 32, “with BlueBird 8 to 10 expected to be ready to ship in approximately 30 days" for launch. The company originally envisioned "four more orbital launches by the end of Q1 2026," but Sunday's Blue Origin launch was the first.