(Photo Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The FCC has given SpaceX regulatory clearance to start expanding tests of its cellular Starlink system in the US.
The FCC today issued an experimental license to SpaceX to test cellular Starlink in 10 more US locations; that comes after it granted licenses for two dozen other locations in December.
Originally, the FCC only granted SpaceX permission to test the cellular Starlink system in select cities, such as Mountain View, California; Dallas, Texas; and Pie Town, New Mexico. But now the commission is letting the company test the technology “state-wide” in California, Washington, Texas, and Hawaii.
In addition, SpaceX can conduct testing in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Whitmore Lake, Michigan; and Rock Creek, Colorado, among other locations.
The company is indicating the tests will see how the cellular Starlink system fares across various kinds of terrains. In a filing to the FCC earlier this month, SpaceX said: “Including these additional locations will enable SpaceX to more fully test its direct-to-cellular system, including beam-placement and topology software, in a variety of different geographic circumstances.”
In the meantime, the company’s initial tests have shown that the cellular Starlink satellites can successfully beam internet data to unmodified smartphones on the ground. This includes powering download speeds up to 17Mbps and even sending the internet data while the phone is under tree cover or even indoors. The technology’s goal is to serve cellular dead zones, making it possible for consumers to receive satellite connectivity in remote and rural areas.
SpaceX is aiming to launch the cellular Starlink system for T-Mobile customers later this year, first to support text messages. But the company still needs full approval from the FCC to operate the cellular Starlink technology commercially.
Some rival telecommunication providers are concerned that SpaceX’s system risks causing radio interference. But in a letter to the FCC last week, SpaceX noted: “Over two months of daily testing, SpaceX has not received any notices of harmful interference from any in-band, out-of-band, or cross-border users, and has no reason to believe such interference has occurred.”