AST Seeks SCS Access to Lower 700, 850 MHz Spectrum Blocks

Alongside its pending request to provide supplemental coverage from space (SCS) services using the V band, AST SpaceMobile is asking the FCC for permission to use parts of the 850 MHz cellular A and B block and lower 700 MHz B and C block. In Space Bureau filing Monday seeking to amend its pending U.S. market access application (see 2004140001), AST said it would use that spectrum between 704 and 894 MHz, leased from AT&T, to provide SCS services for AT&T subscribers. AST said it plans to launch five of its BlueBird commercial satellites in Q1 2024 for its SCS constellation, with a second block of BlueBirds to follow later that year.