After months of waiting, Starlink's cellular service has obtained the green light from American authorities which will allow customers of the T-Mobile operator to send text messages via satellite. However, there are still obstacles to overcome.
This time it's the right one for SpaceX. The company and its subsidiary Starlink have been fighting for months to wrest from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorization to launch commercial operations of the direct-to-cell satellite telephone service. The FCC has given a partial green light to Starlink's cellular service rollout.
Cautious green light from the FCC
Starlink plans to first open the service, in its beta version, to its employees in the United States. T-Mobile customers, partner of the initiative, should be served shortly: Mike Sievert, the operator's CEO, indicated that the launch of the beta program is planned by the end of the year, or early 2025, without however specifying the price.
Initially, cellular satellite service will allow text messages to be sent and received in white or underserved areas. Ultimately, Starlink wants to be able to support audio and video calls. Tests have shown that it is possible to obtain a speed of 17 Mb/s. The advantage of this network is that it works on Android smartphones or iPhones equipped with 4G, in other words the very vast majority of them, without additional equipment.
Read Starlink successfully tests a video call on its satellite phone service
The company, which has just launched 12 new direct-to-cell satellites (for a current total of 320), is not yet at the end of its troubles. Because this is only the “first level” of this service. And the FCC has postponed several important decisions regarding the more advanced functions that Starlink would like to implement.
SpaceX requires authorization to exceed normal radio emission limits, which is essential to enable real-time video and voice calls. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon oppose it, citing risks of interference with their networks.
The regulator also delayed its decision on SpaceX's request to launch 22,488 second-generation Starlink satellites. She first wants to assess the impact of the current network, particularly on astronomy, before potentially approving an expansion.
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Source :
PCMag
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