The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given the green light to SpaceX to offer the Starlink network to mobile phones. As notes TechCrunchthis initiative has T-Mobile as a commercial partner of Elon Musk’s company and aims to expand network access to mobile phones through satellite connections, in collaboration with existing terrestrial operators.
Although the announcement of the project dates back to the summer of 2022, when SpaceX and the German multinational had made official their intention to allow the operator’s customers to access Starlink directly from their mobile devices, and it was initially planned that the service would be was to go live in 2023, regulatory approval didn’t actually come until late 2024.
The challenges of connection
There is no doubt that Elon Musk’s company will face considerable technical challenges when it comes to synchronizing a mobile phone with a satellite in orbit hundreds of kilometers away. However, the FCC believes that the work carried out by both companies can offer important benefits, especially to improve access to emergency services in isolated areas affected by natural disasters. In the past, SpaceX had already successfully tested direct telephone connections in emergency situations, such as during hurricanes Helene and Milton.
From a regulatory standpoint, the FCC has imposed certain conditions. The service, called supplemental coverage from space, will have to function as an extension of an existing ground-based operator, in this case T-Mobile. SpaceX will also have to ensure that deployed activities do not interfere with other ground signals. At the same time, the latter will not have to obstruct satellite transmissions either.
The FCC’s approval allows SpaceX to use certain wireless bands for the service, but requires close collaboration with NASA to coordinate satellites operating at altitudes below 400 kilometers, including those near the lower limit of SpaceX’s orbit. the International Space Station. Starlink is located at an altitude of 530 kilometers, but will be authorized to operate with any of the approximately 7,500 satellites approved at different altitudes: 340, 345, 350 and 360 kilometers. The Californian company will also position itself as the leader in the US market for direct satellite telephone services, overtaking competitors such as Lynk, which, although already operational, does not have commercial partners in the United States.
Many of Starlink’s competitors, including Amazon’s Kuiper, Dish, Omnispace and TerreStar, have raised objections to the company and T-Mobile’s plan, most likely to delay its rollout. However, the FCC has not followed this line, convinced that the project’s type of connection could represent an important advance in universal Internet access, improving coverage in prohibitive areas and situations.
Meanwhile, the next step is emerging. As those responsible for both companies emphasized when announcing the news, the project will not be launched immediately after obtaining approval from the commission. In order to synchronize a mobile device with a “phone tower in space,” engineers on the various teams in charge will have to work to solve non-trivial problems and usher in what promises to be a new era of networking.
Elon Musx’s company had launched the first batch of Starlink satellites in January to connect mobile phones directly to the network. The service had been tested at the end of the year, in collaboration with the telephone company and other telecommunications companies in Australia, Canada and Japan. FCC permission to test the new system had arrived in December 2023. A total of 840 satellites participated, transmitting a 4G signal to approximately 2,000 smartphones not modified.
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