Business · Datacenter Dynamics
FCC gives AST SpaceMobile the go ahead to launch satellite broadband service
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given AST SpaceMobile permission to launch and operate its non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Key facts
- Founded in 2017, AST's first test satellite, Bluewalker 1, was launched in 2019; Bluewalker 2 was canceled
- AST was planning a constellation of almost 170 satellites; the first 20 were originally due to enter operation by 2023, with another 90 deployed through 2024
- AST SpaceMobile is pushing to compete against SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon Leo, with the announcement coming days after AST SpaceMobile lost its BlueBird 7 spacecraft following a failure
- Approval from the FCC is a grant for AST to launch and operate its constellation of 248 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites
Summary
Approval from the FCC is a grant for AST to launch and operate its constellation of 248 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The constellation will operate using premium low-band spectrum in the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands. AST SpaceMobile is pushing to compete against SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon Leo, with the announcement coming days after AST SpaceMobile lost its BlueBird 7 spacecraft following a failure in the positioning stage of its Blue Origin launch. The satellite operator has partnerships with US carriers AT&T and Verizon, meaning that the company is a step closer to launching D2D satellite services for these carriers, plus first responder network FirstNet.