The FCC granted AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTSW) an initial license for space-based operations. The company says it’s building a space-based cellular broadband network accessible “directly by everyday smartphones.”
With this initial license, AST SpaceMobile is now authorized to launch and operate frequencies to support gateway, feeder link and telemetry, tracking, and control operations for the first five commercial BlueBird satellites. This FCC grant represents what the company calls “a critical step” to advancing several important goals shared by AST SpaceMobile and the Commission, including closing the digital divide, expanding access to emergency communications, accelerating digital transformation and advancing U.S. leadership in direct-to-device regulation.
“This regulatory milestone is a significant step to targeting 100% nationwide coverage from space of the continental United States on premium cellular spectrum,” said AST SpaceMobile President Scott Wisniewski. “Through our strategic partnerships with companies like AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone and our other key partners around the world, we aim to enhance cellular connectivity globally, essentially eliminating dead zones and empowering remote areas with space-based cellular broadband connectivity.”
The FCC deferred approval to operate in frequencies designated for terrestrial services for satellite-to-cell service, which the FCC calls supplemental coverage from space. The Commission also deferred AST Mobile’s request to operate 243 satellites, Via Satellite reported.
AST SpaceMobile has completed the manufacturing, assembly, and environmental testing of the first five BlueBird commercial satellites. It’s ready to ship those to Cape Canaveral this month, with a seven-day launch window in September.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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