Chile Grants AST SpaceMobile 30-Year S-Band Concession for Direct-to-Cell Service

AST SpaceMobile has secured a 30-year nationwide concession for S-band spectrum in Chile, granted by the country's telecommunications regulator SUBTEL. The award adds another Latin American market to the company's expanding spectrum portfolio for direct-to-cell satellite connectivity.

The concession covers 20 MHz of uplink spectrum between 1980 and 2010 MHz and 30 MHz of downlink spectrum between 2170 and 2200 MHz. Those frequencies precisely match the S-band holdings AST previously acquired through ITU priority rights.

The Chilean grant of 50 MHz follows a recent 30 MHz S-band allocation for AST in Brazil, reflecting what the company's record shows to be a rapidly growing spectrum position across the region. The Chilean frequencies match those held by SpaceX. The same S-band was assigned to Omnispace in 2019. Omnispace, now renamed Elveo Mobile, faces questions over whether it is operating or utilizing the full 60 MHz to the best of its ability.

Reports indicate that Omnispace, now Elveo, did not prevent Brazil from providing both AST and Starlink with the full 30 MHz block. Observers suggest Chile will follow Brazil's example. The concession represents another national market cleared for AST's planned global satellite cellular service, building on its earlier Brazilian allocation.

For AST, each national approval extends the regulatory footprint required to deliver direct-to-cell satellite connectivity. Chile adds to the company's Latin American coverage and broadens the spectrum rights it has assembled through ITU priority claims and individual national concessions.

Attention now turns to how Chile manages the overlap between the newly granted AST spectrum and the S-band previously assigned to Omnispace, now Elveo Mobile. Observers expect Chile to mirror the approach taken in Brazil, where both AST and Starlink were accommodated.