Aviation Groups, Iridium Still Don’t Like Ligado-AST Space Mobile Deal
Ligado wants discovery in its $39 billion lawsuit against the Defense Department
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2026 – Several aviation industry groups and others are still not fans of Ligado and AST SpaceMobile’s proposed direct-to-device spectrum deal.
The partnership would make it effectively impossible for Ligado to deploy a terrestrial network with the same L-band spectrum, they argued, something the company secured FCC approval for in 2020 but has yet to do.
