(Photo by Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In a regulatory win for SpaceX, the Federal Communications Commission has decided to loosen radio emission rules for the cellular Starlink system.
The FCC today granted the company a waiver for "aggregate out-of-band emissions" in the US, which permits SpaceX to operate its cellular Starlink system beyond the normal radio limits, subject to certain conditions.
SpaceX and its partner T-Mobile have been lobbying the FCC for the waiver, arguing the current radio emission limits would prevent the company from powering real-time calls through the cellular Starlink system. Under the current rules, the company’s orbiting satellites would only have enough capacity to operate as “a text service,” SpaceX told the commission in September.
The waiver is important as SpaceX operates more cellular Starlink satellites in Earth's orbit. The current rules say "the aggregation of all space station downlink emissions" cannot exceed a power flux density of -120 dBW/m2 /MHz, which would force SpaceX to reduce the number of active radio beams on a satellite or lessen their power to compensate.
"This will ensure that Americans have the best quality and most reliable service to their phones from space, and sets a good precedent for all other countries," tweeted SpaceX Senior Director for Satellite Engineering Ben Longmier.
However, rival carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, have urged the FCC to reject SpaceX's requested waiver on claims that raising the radio emission limits risks causing interference with their own networks on the ground. A group of European telecommunication companies even threatened to sue if the FCC ruled in SpaceX’s favor.
In its decision, the FCC said “we find good cause to waive the rule,” pointing to SpaceX’s analysis that shows it can operate the satellites beyond the radio emission limits without causing interference. The commission is also signaling it wants to avoid stifling innovation in the emerging satellite-to-phone market.
“SCS [supplemental coverage from space] service is at a nascent stage of development, and we find that strict application of the rule risks hindering the widespread deployment of this particular SCS network,” the FCC wrote.
Still, the commission is imposing restrictions on the waiver. The cellular Starlink system can only operate beyond the radio limits within “the 5 megahertz band segments immediately adjacent to the PCS G Block (1900MHz block) in which SpaceX is operating,” the FCC said.
If the cellular Starlink system does create radio interference, SpaceX “may no longer operate under the waiver and must immediately adjust its operations to meet the limits,” the FCC added.
SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. For now, the cellular Starlink tech only supports SMS-based messaging in cellular dead zones. But SpaceX has plans to offer data downloads and voice calling through the cellular Starlink system.
The company is currently offering the satellite-to-phone service through T-Mobile’s free beta program. The carrier then plans on officially launching the cellular Starlink service in July for all US customers, including those on rival carriers.
Currently, there are over 500 cellular Starlink satellites in orbit, but the company has plans to potentially launch thousands more to boost the coverage and signal quality.