How Much Bandwidth Will AST SpaceMobile Actually Provide in the US?

As the wireless industry continues to propose and expand on plans to provide Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) we thought it would be helpful to look at how the spectrum held by AST SpaceMobile's partners (AT&T and Verizon), would combine to form AST's Space Link bandwidth.  We are evaluating the spectrum options for each county for simplicity although AST's waiver request appears utilize the individual Cellular Geographic Service Areas (CGSA) that are internal and overlapping many of the county boundaries.  As a reminder, cellular licenses were original filed for Metropolitan Service Areas (MSA) and Rural Service Areas (RSA) that are typically grouping of 2 or counties.

Below are the details of how the underlying spectrum ownership translates into Space Link bandwidth.  AST plans to utilize the cellular A' channel (845 to 846.5) and the B' channel (846.5 to 849).  In the 700 MHz band 1.4 MHz channel is place at the upper end of the 710-716 MHz channel.

• 4x4 MHz is the supported configuration when both cellular bands are controlled by partners
• 2.5x2.5 MHz is the supported configuration when only Cellular B band is controlled by partners
• 1.5x1.5 MHz is the supported configuration when only the Cellular A band is controlled by partners
• 1.4x1.4 MHz  is the supported configuration when the 700MHz C block is utilized

 

Cellular A Band:

In the map below, branding colors highlight the primary spectrum owner for each county.  The white counties are owned by smaller carriers.  There are a few counties that USCellular has not assigned to Verizon and the T-Mobile counties are currently leased, likely to provide continued service as USCellular customers transition to T-Mobile.

Cellular B Band:

700MHz C Band:

NR Band 5 and 12 Bandwidth:

For the next analysis step we exported spectrum depth data for all of Verizon and AT&T's low band channels.  With the Spectrum Ownership Analysis Tool it is easy to copy tabular data from the tool and paste it into Excel for more customized analysis.  If you have a need for custom analysis, select a time in our calendar to discuss the analysis further.  The map below highlights the available spectrum that AST SpaceMobile can utilize in each county.  The No Partners category reflects counties where Verizon and AT&T do not have cellular licenses and AT&T does not have 700MHz C block licenses.  The AM Blocked category highlights the markets adjacent to these No Partners markets where AST is constrained from broadcasting due to interference concerns to the non partners.  

FirstNet Spectrum:

In the last map, we are highlighting the license footprint for AT&T's FirstNet spectrum which AT&T and AST are proposing to utilize 10x10 MHz.  Verizon is not a party to this waiver request.  Clearly deploying on this spectrum from space would provide the greatest bandwidth, but there should be some constraints on using this spectrum for the general AT&T customer population and potentially Verizon customers if there may be harm to the prioritized public safety community.