SpaceX says many consumers won’t be able to connect to its cellular Starlink system if AT&T and Verizon have their way with US regulations. The company sent a letter to the FCC on Thursday, pushing back on an AT&T and Verizon effort to convince the US regulator to limit radio emissions from the cellular Starlink network. SpaceX didn’t mince words, claiming the two companies are using obstructionist tactics to degrade a satellite internet service that the public stands to benefit from, especially for users and emergency services in areas without cell activity. “Unfortunately, with commercial launch fast approaching, a familiar cast of wannabe competitors has petitioned to stop SpaceX, demanding that consumers and first responders sacrifice these life-saving services and America’s leadership in supplemental coverage from space,” SpaceX wrote. The company sent the letter over a week after AT&T and Verizon urged the FCC to shoot down a SpaceX request to allow its cellular Starlink satellites to operate beyond normal radio frequency parameters. Through a waiver, SpaceX wants to loosen the radio emission restrictions to ensure the satellites offer robust internet coverage, allowing the company’s partner, T-Mobile, to serve customers when no traditional cell tower is in sight. However, AT&T and Verizon—which plan to offer their own satellite internet service through rival AST SpaceMobile—are calling on the FCC to reject the request over concerns that the satellites will generate too much radio interference. One AT&T analysis suggests the SpaceX satellites will “cause an 18% average reduction in network downlink throughput.”But in Thursday’s filing, SpaceX argued that failing to loosen the radio restrictions will “decimate an innovative service that may be a consumer’s only recourse during an emergency.” Following AT&T’s and Verizon’s demands would “effectively halve the signal in clear sky conditions before considering common losses such as foliage, weather, and penetration through buildings and from inside cars,” the company added. “Under real-world conditions, applying the -120 dBW/m2 /MHz aggregate limit would mean many users will not be able to connect at all, and those that can will face extreme sensitivity to even small movements, fading, attenuation, and directionality, making real-time communications such as voice and video difficult to impossible,” SpaceX went on to warn.
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The 19-page letter also accuses AT&T and Verizon of “talking out of both sides of their mouths,” claiming the companies want to give a free pass to their own partner, AST SpaceMobile, when it comes to radio emissions. SpaceX also alleges that AT&T rigged its study in claiming the Starlink satellites would cause harmful interference. SpaceX is urging the FCC to let it commercially operate the company’s cellular Starlink system, which now spans over 130 satellites. The goal is to launch the service with T-Mobile later this fall, first to support text messaging. But the company is facing a growing chorus of complaints from rival companies and satellite providers over claims that the cellular Starlink tech risks creating radio interference, despite SpaceX’s own analyses which show the contrary. On Thursday, T-Mobile also filed its own letter with the FCC, arguing SpaceX’s system has been designed to protect radio signals from other providers.
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
I’ve been with PCMag since October 2017, covering a wide range of topics, including consumer electronics, cybersecurity, social media, networking, and gaming. Prior to working at PCMag, I was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for over five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.
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