(Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The FCC will let SpaceX test its cellular Starlink system to beam data to smartphones in over two dozen locations across the US.
On Thursday, the FCC issued the company an "experimental special temporary authorization" to conduct the test, which will involve beaming the satellite connectivity to unmodified T-Mobile phones on the ground. SpaceX has 180 days, or until June 14, to conduct the pilot.
The clearance arrives a week after the FCC initially only gave partial approval for SpaceX to start deploying the cellular Starlink system. That initial approval allowed the company to start launching satellites outfitted with the technology to power the cellular connectivity. But at the time, a key restriction was that SpaceX could only conduct short tests to verify that the antennas on the satellites worked. Any other testing was barred.
In contrast, Thursday’s temporary authorization permits SpaceX to test the main purpose of the cellular Starlink system: Transmitting data to unmodified smartphones on Earth using T-Mobile’s spectrum over the 1910-1915 and 1990-1995MHz radio bands.
(Credit: Starlink.com)According to SpaceX, the test will eventually involve using 840 satellites — each one acting as orbiting cell tower— to beam the connectivity to 2,000 test devices on the ground. The company initially sought to trial the system in 13 locations, but later specified to the FCC that 12 other “radioastronomy sites” were also on the list.
"At any given time, approximately 60 of these 840 (satellite) payloads will be serving handsets in the United States under this experimental authorization," the company said in its application. The test sites include: Mountain View, California; Kansas City, Kansas; Redmond, Washington; and Dallas, Texas; among others.
The resulting tests are poised to help both SpaceX and the FCC address whether the cellular Starlink system risks causing radio interference across the US, including with other carriers and satellite providers. Companies including AT&T, Dish Network, and Globalstar have all logged concerns about the cellular Starlink system potentially disrupting their own services.
SpaceX issued its own lengthy rebuttal, which argues the cellular Starlink system will only benefit US consumers, rather than pose a radio signal hazard. Still, the FCC’s temporary authorization allows the US regulator to pull the plug on the testing, if necessary. “In the event of any harmful interference caused under this grant of STA [special temporary authorization], SpaceX must immediately cease operations upon notification of such interference,” the filing notes. “SpaceX must immediately inform the Commission, in writing, of such an event.”
SpaceX is aiming to launch the cellular Starlink system for T-Mobile and other partners sometime next year, starting first with test messages. Voice and data are slated to arrive in 2025.