AT&T has agreed to lease spectrum in the 700 MHz and 850 MHz bands to AST SpaceMobile
In an official filing, AT&T asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve waivers allowing satellite-direct-to-phone company AST SpaceMobile to operate on leased spectrum from the carrier. AT&T told the FCC that it has agreed to lease spectrum in the 700 MHz and 850 MHz bands to AST to provide supplemental-coverage-from-space (SCS) services to its subscribers.
While AT&T said in the filing that the agreement will become effective at the end of this month, the carrier acknowledged that AST will not be able to begin transmitting in the previously mentioned spectrum bands “without obtaining all necessary Commission approvals.”
The arrangement with AST also includes providing temporary coverage after natural disasters, AT&T stated, further declaring that the deal will enable the carrier to provide services meeting 3GPP Release-17 standards on unmodified handsets.
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In fact, just a few weeks ago, AST completed what it called the first satellite-direct-to-phone call, achieving a direct voice connection from space to an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone. As if foreshadowing the AT&T filing, the test call used AT&T’s Band 5/850 MHz spectrum. The call was placed in Midland, Texas and was received in Japan by Rakuten, which provided engineers for the preparation and testing for the trial.
When announcing the successful launch of AST’s direct-to-cell satellite the BlueWalker 3 last fall, the company’s Chairman and CEO Abel Avellan said: “Every person should have the right to access cellular broadband, regardless of where they live or work. Our goal is to close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives around the world.”