AST SpaceMobile can now begin testing mobile broadband services using the five BlueBird satellites it launched in September
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted temporary approval to AST SpaceMobile to test is direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service, which includes satellite-to-device voice, data and video services and applications.
The satellite company’s Head of Regulatory Affairs Vikram Raval called the FCC’s decision pivotal. While temporary, the approval means that AST SpaceMobile can begin testing mobile broadband services using the five BlueBird satellites it launched in September.
The satellites, whose beams are designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz and deliver peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps, are expencted to support non-continuous cellular broadband service across parts of the U.S. and are compatible with unmodified AT&T and Verizon smartphones. AST SpaceMobile has said previously that the goal is to provide approximately 100% nationwide coverage from space with more than 5,600 coverage cells.
The company is in currently developing 17 second-generation BlueBird satellites, which it explained will have a larger array and ten-times the capacity than the first iteration. These are scheduled to launch this year.
In related news, Vodafone last week claimed to have achieved the world’s first non-terrestrial video call using a regular, unmodified 4G/5G smartphones and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites.
Verizon made a $100 million commitment to AST SpaceMobile, which comprises $65 million in commercial prepayments plus $35 million of convertible notes, plus use of the company’s 850 MHz spectrum. In January 2024, AST said that it was primed for commercial service launch with new funding from AT&T, Google, Vodafone and a line of credit. Those investments encompassed $20 million in revenue commitments from AT&T that were predicated on the successful launch and operation of AST SpaceMobile’s first five commercial satellites, and a minimum $25 million in revenue commitments from Vodafone. Both carriers placed purchase orders in undisclosed amounts for AST SpaceMobile network equipment that will support planned commercial services.
