SpaceX this week announced two developments that further its goal of becoming a major U.S. carrier to compete with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
It is acquiring a portfolio of low-band spectrum licenses in the 800 MHz band, which it says addresses one of the “remaining technical gaps” that will allow it to compete with other carriers. Most smartphones already support the 800 MHz band that SpaceX is purchasing.
The FCC has approved the application of the Starlink Mobile Gen2 constellation, allowing SpaceX to launch 15,000 satellites optimized for the 2 GHz spectrum globally. The company says Starlink Mobile satellites will “deliver more than 100 times the bandwidth” of the current generation. The FCC also issued SpaceX a waiver allowing the company to offer wireless services through its satellites without a spectrum leasing agreement with a ground-based carrier.
After receiving final FCC approval to purchase the new spectrum, SpaceX will combine its satellites with an “advanced ground deployment” to connect devices everywhere. SpaceX says the 2GHz mid-band spectrum will offer high-bandwidth capabilities in the United States, while the new low-band spectrum will allow Starlink’s signal to penetrate through obstacles such as walls.
SpaceX plans to be the first network operator to deploy satellite and terrestrial spectrum. It says it will offer a single network with “reliable service indoors, outdoors, in cellular dead zones and everywhere in between.”
SpaceX already powers T-Mobile’s satellite functionality, but T-Mobile recently removed the SpaceX branding from its website after finalizing a satellite joint venture with AT&T and Verizon. SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile announcement caused shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to drop, with Verizon posting its worst one-day decline since 2002.
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