AST Critics 'Don't Know Our System,' CEO Says

Wireless and satellite critics of AST's planned 243-satelltie non-geostationary orbit constellation to provide mobile broadband connectivity (see 2011040003) "don't know our system," CEO Abel Avellan said in an interview Thursday. He said concerns about lack of proof of interference protections and about spectrum use incompatible with FCC rules "are simply not factual," and the company will respond. The plans for satellite-based connectivity to mobile devices "is revolutionary, [and] when you bring something completely new, people don't understand it," he said. The company is seeking regulatory approvals other than the U.S. and plans to begin putting up its constellation in late 2021, he said.