SpaceX has warned the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that consumers will simply lose access to its upcoming Starlink cellular system if the regulator grants requests from land mobile operators AT&T and Verizon.
Image source: starlink.com
Last Thursday, SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC expressing disagreement with attempts by AT&T and Verizon to convince the American regulator to limit the operation of the Starlink cellular network. The company did not mince words and accused the two opponents of using obstructionist tactics aimed at degrading the quality of satellite Internet service, which should benefit the public: both ordinary subscribers and emergency services in areas without mobile communications.
«”Unfortunately, as commercial launch approaches, a prominent group of would-be competitors have started a petition demanding that SpaceX be stopped by allowing consumers and emergency responders to sacrifice these vital services and America’s leadership in additional coverage from space,” SpaceX said in the letter. Last week, AT&T and Verizon called on the FCC to reject SpaceX’s request to allow its cellular satellites to operate outside normal radio frequency parameters. The satellite operator wants to lower radio emissions limits to ensure reliable coverage and help land-based T-Mobile serve customers when there are no traditional cell towers in sight.
Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon, which plan to offer similar services backed by AST rival SpaceMobile, have urged the FCC to reject the request over concerns that the satellites would cause too much radio interference. AT&T even estimates that SpaceX satellites will “result in an average 18% reduction in downlink throughput.” SpaceX, however, objected that failure to reduce restrictions on radio communications would “destroy an innovative service that, in an emergency, may be the subscriber’s only option.” If AT&T and Verizon’s requirements are met, it would “effectively attenuate the signal by half in clear air conditions without taking into account factors such as vegetation, weather, building penetration and vehicle interiors.”
«In real world conditions, setting an aggregate limit of -120 dBW/m²/MHz will mean that many users will not be able to connect at all, and those who can will experience extreme sensitivity to even the slightest movement, attenuation, attenuation and directionality, making communication real-time voice and video difficult or impossible,” SpaceX warned. The company also accused opponents of trying to apply double standards, since they allegedly want to give their partner AST SpaceMobile complete freedom in terms of radio emissions. Moreover, AT&T, according to SpaceX, falsified the results of its study, according to which Starlink will create interference.
Given the above, SpaceX is calling on the FCC to allow it to bring the Starlink system with a constellation of more than 130 satellites into commercial operation. The company expects its partner T-Mobile to offer the service this fall, initially limited to test messages. T-Mobile also sent its own letter to the FCC – it states that the SpaceX system is designed to protect radio signals from other operators.