SpaceX is looking on the FCC to “swiftly” approve its plan to upgrade the Starlink community with gigabit speeds, touting the advantages whereas firing again at its critics.
“SpaceX urges its rivals to direct their vitality away from anticompetitive assaults on accountable US programs and towards bettering the sustainability of their very own unreliable or unproven programs,” the corporate instructed the US regulator immediately.
SpaceX despatched the 54-page letter to the FCC two weeks after a number of satellite tv for pc corporations—Globalstar, Viasat, Hughesnet’s dad or mum Echostar, and Iridum—urged the fee to dismiss or deny sure elements of the proposed upgrades. “The fee ought to acknowledge SpaceX’s functions for what they’re—a critical menace to competitors,” Viasat stated on the time.
SpaceX is urgent the FCC to let it function 30,000 Starlink satellites, or a three-fold improve, and entry a broader vary of radio spectrum bands. This guarantees to ship gigabit web speeds to Starlink customers and improved satellite connectivity, together with 6G, to cell phones.
Nevertheless, rival satellite tv for pc corporations like Eutelsat/OneWeb have raised issues or objected to the proposed upgrades, citing fears it’ll generate radio interference with their very own networks. One other fear is that the formidable scope of the plan will give Starlink an unfair edge, stymying different satellite tv for pc corporations from accessing radio spectrum and orbits to compete.
(Credit score: Imaginima through Getty Pictures)
In response, SpaceX instructed the FCC to dismiss the criticism as unfounded, citing its personal evaluation, which exhibits no dangerous interference will happen.
“These commenters depend on outdated guidelines, rejected arguments, revisionist historical past, and factual errors to claim that SpaceX’s Gen2 improve would trigger them important interference issues or preclude future entry in these bands. However even a cursory evaluation of those opposing feedback and petitions reveal that their arguments are meritless and have to be rejected,” the corporate added.
SpaceX went so far as alleging that Eutelsat “manipulates its evaluation to overstate the danger of dangerous interference.” The corporate additionally took a shot at Viasat for claiming that Starlink gigabit upgrades are an anti-competitive play.
“Viasat repeats the identical baseless claims about ‘monopolization’ of low-Earth orbits because it makes to overseas administrations when it urges them to dam the US from licensing any NGSO (non-geostationary satellite tv for pc orbit) programs,” SpaceX stated. “However regardless of Viasat’s anti-competitive claims, the US continues to have probably the most stringent orbital particles guidelines on the earth and SpaceX continues to be clear, accommodating, and forward-looking in its operations.”
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SpaceX and its rivals have repeatedly tussled on this difficulty. Most lately, Elon Musk’s firm urged the fee to reject Globalstar’s plan to launch a brand new constellation of 48 low-Earth orbiting satellites as the 2 corporations battle for spectrum entry.
Nonetheless, Tuesday’s letter from SpaceX exhibits it’s hoping to achieve clearance of the gigabit upgrades quickly. The corporate is already creating a new Starlink dish to supply the gigabit speeds, which additionally hinge on SpaceX’s Starship automobile deploying next-generation V3 satellites.
Within the letter, SpaceX additionally famous it’s requesting a waiver to streamline the FCC’s approval for entry to the extra radio bands. As well as, the corporate desires one other waiver to loosen the “equal energy flux density (EPFD) downlink limits,” calling the regulation “outdated” and overly restrictive.
“Critically, SpaceX doesn’t search unique use of any spectrum or orbital sources and has devoted important and steady engineering to make sure that it stays a accountable steward of shared sources and a constructive instance for others,” the corporate added.
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
