SpaceX applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for more spectrum resources to provide Starlink satellite Internet services to more mobile users. SpaceX proposed the use of two frequency bands, 1.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz, in an application filed with the FCC “to support a range of mobile satellite services.”
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In July, when SpaceX’s Starlink Internet first announced it was going live with mobile satellite services, it could only use the 2 GHz band.
In its filing, SpaceX said, “By allowing SpaceX to use more spectrum resources, the FCC can give U.S. users in all locations a wider choice of mobile satellite services and ensure that consumers can fully enjoy the development of IoT applications and devices.”
SpaceX plans to use the 1.6 GHz and 2 GHz bands for upload data links and the 2.4 GHz band for downlink data links. The company said this will allow Starlink “to support a range of mobile satellite services, allowing SpaceX to build a compelling range of products. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, Starlink services can meet the connectivity needs of U.S. users.”
SpaceX said the requested additional spectrum resources will also enable Starlink’s mobile satellite services to have a latency of fewer than 50 milliseconds and increase the data capacity of the entire Starlink network.
The company added: “SpaceX will ensure that every fixed user anywhere will be able to connect to multiple satellites, with greater system flexibility to provide robust connectivity even during data congestion in the corresponding frequency bands.”
SpaceX also emphasized that the Starlink satellite network can operate in the radio band without interfering with other satellite operators, including Globalstar. SpaceX claims that Globalstar “enjoys partial exclusivity in the 1.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands,” but the FCC has not granted Globalstar “exclusive use of the relevant frequency bands in perpetuity.
SpaceX did not mention its partner T-Mobile in the filing, and last month SpaceX announced plans to use its existing Starlink network to provide SMS messaging and voice calling and data services to T-Mobile cellphone users when they are not in service.
The two companies will begin the first phase of testing at the end of next year, and the subsequent Starlink satellite network will use different radio spectrums, including the 1.91 to 1.995 GHz band used by T-Mobile. In this way, SpaceX’s Starlink network can send data to many existing T-Mobile phones, and most users will be able to use the mobile satellite service without having to buy new equipment.
But it is not clear how SpaceX will use the Starlink network to launch other mobile satellite services to consumers. In its filing, the company said only that SpaceX plans to apply for a blanket license to operate “subscriber terminals” for the upcoming service. As a result, consumers other than T-Mobile subscribers may need to purchase equipment to use the Starlink network’s mobile satellite services.
The filing also states that SpaceX has designed a “modular payload” that can be installed on first-generation Starlink satellites to enable radio communications in the 1.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.
