SpaceX has announced the expansion of its Starlink broadband to more than 10,000 small satellites in low Earth orbit over the next few years. This will eliminate need in expensive Starlink terminals so that users can connect to satellite Internet directly. The first operator to offer this option will be the American T-Mobile in 2024.
Therefore, on December 6, SpaceX filed an application to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to equip some of its second-generation (Gen2) Starlink satellites with “direct satellite communication over cellular network” hardware. The permission from the FCC will be the last hurdle overcome on the way to providing users with Internet access on the territory of the United States. Accessing Starlink directly from a smartphone will also be able to completely eradicate dead zones in the country, or at least in a large part of it.
Approval from the FCC will allow SpaceX to launch the next 7,500 Starlink Gen2 satellites before the end of the decade. The second generation of Starlink satellites will provide smartphone users with access to satellite Internet at speeds from 3 to 18.3 Mbit/s. As of the end of 2022, SpaceX already has 3,500 first-generation Starlink satellites in its space fleet. By 2024, the company should launch another 2,000 Gen2 satellites.
But SpaceX is closely followed by five competitors — other companies are working to offer their space mobile broadband services, including Texas-based AST SpaceMobile, which recently launched a test satellite with a massive array of antennas that outshine the stars. OneWeb is also gradually deploying its satellites.
We previously reported on how SpaceX is implementing restrictions on Internet traffic through Starlink.
According to the materials of Scribd
