In a request to add the capabilities to the internet constellation, SpaceX claimed that with less than a third of the 7,500 Gen 2 Starlink satellites approved last week, it could offer “full and continuous” direct-to-smartphone services over much of the world.
SpaceX submitted a request to the U.S. The Federal Communications Commission announced on December 6 that some 2,000 Gen 2 satellites will hold a “direct-to-cellular” payload.
According to an accompanying letter to the FCC from SpaceX senior regulatory engineer Kyle Wesson, the payload would allow these spacecraft to leverage spectrum from cellular partners to provide “voice, messaging, and rudimentary web surfing” to regular phones outside the range of terrestrial networks.
By the middle of 2024, Wesson predicted, “this hosted payload will allow SpaceX to give full and continuous coverage of the Earth within +58° to -58° latitude.”
So far, SpaceX has only disclosed a cooperation to use T-spectrum Mobile’s to offer a direct-to-smartphone service in the US.
SpaceX claimed in its FCC application that their direct-to-smartphone service would be able to connect to mobile devices that utilise the same 1.9 GHz band as T-Mobile.
Wesson predicted that between 80 and 100 satellites would be simultaneously serving the United States and its territories.
When using a larger bandwidth channel, he described “potential peak rates” of up to 18.3 megabits per second (Mbps) downlink and 7.2 Mbps upload per beam.
The whole contiguous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and some of the most isolated corridors of Alaska will all have direct-to-cellular services available to residential, commercial, institutional, and governmental users, he said.
The FCC just recently gave SpaceX provisional authority to launch a small portion of its projected 30,000 Gen 2 satellites, delaying decision on the remainder.
Wesson said that the new service “builds on SpaceX’s entry into this mobile services market with its acquisition of [small satellite operator] Swarm Technologies” from the previous year. It may also connect remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Sara Spangelo, who helped manage the direct-to-smartphone expansion of Swarm and is currently a senior director of satellite engineering at SpaceX, co-founded the company.
After being approached by more than 50 telcos globally, Spangelo stated in November that SpaceX anticipated securing three to five more direct-to-smartphone collaborations by early 2023.
She claimed that as early as 2024, SpaceX might introduce its first services, starting with text messaging.
Apple’s direct-to-smartphone services are now restricted to emergency SOS texting for iPhone 14 phones in the United States and Canada after being deployed via Globalstar satellites in November.
Other well-known businesses and emerging startups are also preparing to offer a range of satellite services straight to typical handsets.
SpaceX has also asked the FCC for more spectrum that could be used for a mobile Starlink satellite service, including in the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum bands used by Globalstar and the 2GHz band allotted to satellite broadcaster Dish Network, while the company is looking for more terrestrial spectrum partners.
In order to reach a critical mass of subscribers globally, Starlink is expanding its coverage with more than 3,500 satellites launched by SpaceX to far.