AST Mobile Space 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.
Tuesday AST insured approval from the Federal Communications Commission to operate its entire constellation of 248 satellites and offer “supplementary coverage from space,” including outside the US.
“This action allows AST to dramatically improve services in the United States and around the world,” the FCC said, noting that the company can use satellite technology to provide 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 placing one of the company’s “BlueBird” satellites into the correct orbit, resulting in its loss and apparently burn up again 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 having a large antenna. Each BlueBird promises to operate as an orbiting cell tower capable of delivering voice, data and video to unmodified smartphones on the ground.
(Mobile Space AST)
In 2024, the FCC merely authorized AST SpaceMobile to operate the company’s first five BlueBird satellites, deferring the company’s application 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 in several low Earth orbits in and around 530 kilometers.
Additionally, AST has also been authorized to offer cellular coverage from space using radio spectrum from two key partners, AT&T and Verizon. However, the grant only covers lower bands from 698MHz to 960Mhz, rather than the mid-band spectrum that AST acquired last year.
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The FCC also allows AST to use the 430 to 440 MHz radio band as an emergency way to monitor and track its satellites, despite objections about interference from the amateur radio community. That said, the FCC is imposing certain conditions, including that AST can only use the 430.5 MHz, 432.3 MHz, 434.1 MHz, 435.9 MHz, and 439.5 MHz bands, but only for a period of less than 24 hours for emergency telemetry and tracking operations.
The FCC determined that “AST has demonstrated that harmful interference of AST transmissions to other authorized operations, including amateur operations, in the 430-440 MHz band is extremely unlikely and, should such interference occur, AST is capable of suspending such transmissions.”
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The Commission also noted: “We have continued to receive no complaints of harmful interference to AST’s already authorized operations in the 430-440 MHz band.” The radio bands represent a setback when the company also has authorization to use 2,000MHz bands for satellite tracking and telemetry.
The FCC also issued approval, including through T-Mobile and SpaceX raised concerns on possible interference and collisions of satellites risks. The news comes as competition to offer satellite-to-phone services has intensified. Earlier this month, Amazon announced that spent more than $11 billion to acquire Apple partner Globalstar to provide satellite connectivity to smartphones. Meanwhile, SpaceX has been laying the groundwork for big upgrades to Starlink Mobile, which is currently available through T-Mobile, but with limited bandwidth.
The main challenge facing AST has been launching the necessary satellites. Currently the company only has total of 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 to be able to offer robust coverage in the U.S. But Sunday’s failed deployment of the seventh BlueBird satellite may raise some questions about whether it will be able to offer commercial service later this year.
In response to Blue Origin’s setback, AST noted that it is already producing the BlueBird 32 satellite, “and BlueBird 8 to 10 is expected to be ready to ship in approximately 30 days” for launch. Still, the company originally He anticipated “four more orbital launches by the end of the first quarter of 2026,” but none occurred until Sunday’s Blue Origin launch.
About our expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for more than 15 years. I started as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I currently reside in San Francisco, but previously spent more than five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I have covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing more than 600 stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I scoured the FCC files for the latest news and drove to remote corners of California to test Starlink cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly collecting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint report investigation with motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages took me camping vs. Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. Now I’m tracking how the AI-driven memory shortage is affecting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so hit the comments with your feedback and send me tips.
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