AST SpaceMobile received permission to provide direct-to-smartphone broadband services in the United States with up to 248 satellites, days after a botched launch complicated plans to ramp up deployments this year.
The Federal Communications Commission approved the Texas-based company's full constellation April 21, subject to conditions ranging from interference safeguards to astronomy and orbital-debris mitigation obligations.
The move paves the way for services in the United States in partnership with AT&T and Verizon, which are providing the cellular frequencies the satellites would use to keep mobile subscribers connected outside terrestrial coverage.
