Elon Musk: For large commercial or community users, the Starlink Gateway terminal provides over 8Gbps of downlink and soon over 8Gbps uplink too.

Speedtest from @starlink’s new mobile community gateway capability, no land in sight.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5318f1150.jpeg

Just seen a Starlink trail over NW UK. Must have only launched a few hours ago as they were still quite compact.

:rolleyes:FCC REFUSES FUNDS FOR STARLINK

After SpaceX won a bid for $885 million to deploy low-latency internet service to 642,925 locations in 35 states, the FCC has denied Starlink the funds, claiming they can’t prove they have the ability to provide the service.

FCC: “The Bureau ultimately concluded, after careful review of Starlink’s long-form application, that Starlink was not eligible for RDOF support because Starlink failed to demonstrate that it had the technical and financial ability to serve the specific areas where it won support. As a result, Starlink was found in default and was not authorized to receive RDOF support.

Starlink filed an Application for Review (AFR) of the Bureau’s decision, which the Commission denied, agreeing with the Bureau’s conclusion and affirming the decision to deny Starlink’s long-form application.”.......

https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/1545...ing-satellites

FCC Opens Up More Spectrum for Starlink, Low-Earth Orbiting Satellites

In a win for SpaceX’s Starlink, the Federal Communications Commission is giving low-Earth orbiting satellites access to more radio spectrum.

On Thursday, the FCC unanimously voted to open 1,300 megahertz of spectrum in the 17.3 to 17.8GHz bands to non-geostationary satellites, which would include Starlink satellites that operate closer to Earth.

The goal is to foster competition and expand “the ability of satellite operators to deploy advanced services, including high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved areas,” the FCC says. The order specifically enables non-geostationary satellites to harness the 17GHz bands for downlinking purposes or to send data from space down to Earth. The spectrum would also be shared with higher-orbiting geostationary satellites, which got access in 2022.

So it's possible the new rules could lead to a significant download speed increase for Starlink. During the vote FCC staff explained the order will allow both stationary and in-motion devices to receive signals from satellites using the 17GHz spectrum. But it sounds like companies will first need to receive a license from the FCC.

SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper have been among the companies in support of freeing up the spectrum. Last week, SpaceX told the FCC that opening the 17GHz to next-generation satellite service “will bring tremendous benefits to consumers by ensuring that scarce, shared spectrum resources are used as intensively and productively as possible.”

However, AT&T and Verizon are concerned that opening the 17GHz to low-Earth orbiting satellite providers risks causing interference with their own networks. The dispute has led the companies to submit their own analyses to the FCC, arguing for or against the spectrum use.

In response, commission staff said the order includes protections to prevent interference with higher-orbiting geostationary satellites and ground-based telecommunication services.

The full text of the order hasn't been released yet, although a draft version was posted earlier this month. But in her prepared remarks, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said: "Our rules allow a range of use cases from different orbits, bolstering competition in the space economy and creating more opportunities for companies from the United States around the world."

NEWS: @SpaceX receives a temporary authorization from the FCC to conduct @Starlink Direct to Cell testing with T-Mobile statewide in Oregon, Nevada, and Kansas.

i.e. your mobile phone connects directly to a Starlink satellite in space – Think emergencies like Hurricane Helene.

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​​​​​​​NEWS: The WSJ Editorial Board has released a new opinion piece on @Starlink titled "Elon Musk Rides to Biden’s Hurricane Rescue"

WSJ: "The FCC withdrew a grant for Starlink to cover rural counties, but the satellite service is now saving the day in those counties.

The FCC awarded Starlink the grant in 2020 because it can cover remote regions at lower cost than traditional broadband providers. But the FCC’s Democratic majority revoked Starlink’s funding last year, claiming it wasn’t making fast enough progress to connect rural Americans—never mind that other FCC funding recipients weren’t doing any better.

The Biden FCC majority called Starlink unproven and unreliable, though Ukraine’s military and people were relying on its service after Russia destroyed other networks. As GOP commissioner Brendan Carr noted in dissent, the FCC’s decision “cannot be explained by any objective application of law, facts, or policy,” adding that the decision “fits the Biden Administration’s pattern of regulatory harassment” of Mr. Musk’s businesses.

The de-funding by Democrats is now looking even more political. Two weeks ago FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel granted Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen a three-year extension to meet FCC deadlines to build out his fledgling 5G network and avoid stiff penalties for squatting on valuable spectrum. Starlink was well on its way to meeting its commitments to the FCC, but Mr. Ergen wasn’t close to meeting his.

Ah, but Mr. Ergen is a Biden-Harris campaign donor while Mr. Musk is a critic. Note also that Dish lobbied the FCC in 2022 to scrap the Starlink award, saying it “cannot credibly claim that it will be able to fulfill its obligations.” Perhaps Mr. Ergen hopes to win federal funding to cover the rural areas that the FCC had tapped Starlink to connect.

It would be better if the government weren’t subsidizing the expansion of any private broadband networks. But if they’re going to pick winners and losers, the feds should do so based on objective criteria and ensure taxpayer money is spent efficiently."

Full opinion piece from the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/starlink...ergen-084dba67

NEWS: SpaceX requested on Friday that the FCC make “several small but meaningful updates” to its 2nd-generation @Starlink network.

“Together, this modification and its companion amendment will enable the Gen2 system to deliver gigabit-speed, truly low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity to all Americans and the billions of people globally who still lack access to adequate broadband.”

The request includes lowering the altitude of three Starlink satellite shells by 45 and 60 km.

SpaceX also wants the Starlink satellites to harness the E-band radio frequencies to help better deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband to users, including through fixed satellite dishes and mobile equipment.

“The upgraded Gen2 system will feature enhanced hardware that can use higher gain and more advanced beamforming and digital processing technologies and provide more targeted and robust coverage for American consumers – These upgraded satellites can maximize the use of the available bandwidth, enabling more efficient allocation of resources and facilitating a broader range of services.”

Gen2 Starlink satellites will be launched with Starship

https://broadbandbreakfast.com/maine...ved-locations/

Maine to Hand Out Free Starlink Terminals to Unserved

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2024 - Maine, in an apparent first, has decided to provide free Starlink terminals to its hardest-to-reach residents and businesses under a new program set to launch next month.

The equipment portion of the program alone would likely cost the state $5.4 million if all 9,000 eligible locations took the offer, but that would not include Maine’s offer to offer to provide free shipping and free professional installation.

The state, however, is not planning to help reduce Starlink’s monthly service charge.

“Consistent with other Maine Connectivity Authority grant programs, each customer will manage their own subscription with Starlink,” said Brian Allenby, MCA's Senior Director of Program Operations, in an interview Thursday with Broadband Breakfast.

Starlink terminals retail for $599 each and a monthly service plan with unlimited data costs $120.

"We are finalizing our contract with Starlink," Allenby said. The contract, he said, is expected to include capacity guarantees to ensure that the state-purchased terminals can connect to internet service at the newly established speed benchmark of 100/20 Mbps.

MCA said that the state would notify residents of their eligibility and verify their Starlink applications as quickly as possible, though it noted that the pace would depend on the level of demand. The state will provide an application window with a rolling open enrollment process, rather than a firm deadline.

Maine’s plan to provide internet for hard to reach locations falls under the state’s new Working Internet ASAP program. Maine plans to coordinate the bulk purchase of Low-Earth Orbit satellite hardware and service reservations from Starlink in November, hoping to close the digital divide for the remaining 1.5 percent of locations with no access to the internet.

“Maine has more work to do to build out our broadband infrastructure – but by the end of this year, everyone in our state will have the opportunity to access a reliable connection.” said Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D).

Starlink, the world’s largest LEO satellite provider, was selected by MCA through a request for proposal in the summer of 2024. Starlink serves more than 4 million subscribers globally who access service from a constellation of 6,000 satellites about 340 miles above the Earth.

The Working Internet ASAP program is one of several efforts aimed at increasing access to the internet in Maine. The state plans to introduce $350 million in new funding under the Biden Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in 2025.

https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/1549...000-satellites

To Offer Gigabit Speeds, SpaceX's Starlink Makes New Push For 30,000 Satellite

SpaceX is making a new push to receive regulatory clearance to operate nearly 30,000 Starlink satellites in Earth’s orbit.

The company is making the request to the US Federal Communications Commission as part of an effort to upgrade the Starlink network to deliver gigabit speeds to users.

Last Friday, SpaceX revealed some of the plans in an earlier FCC filing, which requests to modify the second-generation Starlink network to harness additional radio spectrum and use lower orbits. This includes tapping E-band frequencies and operating the Starlink satellites from around 530 kilometers down to 480 kilometers in orbit.

Today, the company then made another FCC filing that requests even more radio spectrum and even lower orbits for the second-gen system.

On top of this, SpaceX is seeking permission to deploy up to 29,988 satellites, matching the number initially requested for its second-generation Starlink network. (Back in 2022, the FCC only granted permission for up to 7,500.)

In one of the documents, SpaceX notes the proposed changes “will enable the Gen2 system to deliver gigabit-speeds, truly low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity to all Americans and the billions of people around the world who still lack access to adequate broadband.”

Specifically, SpaceX wants permission to orbit the company’s satellites between the 340 to 365 kilometer range, which CEO Elon Musk has brought up before in a bid to reduce Starlink’s latency to below 20 milliseconds.

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The other major request deals with radio spectrum, which Starlink satellites use to beam data to customers on the ground. In the filing, the company requests access to the “L-, S-, Ku-, Ka-, V-, and W-Band frequencies for communications between satellites and earth stations.”

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fbfcbcc118.png“These additional frequencies will significantly improve the upload and download speeds of SpaceX’s earth stations, thereby allowing SpaceX to stay ahead of increasing demand from consumers, enterprises, and government users,” the company said.

SpaceX has indicated it’ll also deliver the faster internet speeds through a fleet of more advanced V3 Starlink satellites, which will be launched into space using the company’s Starship vehicle. But a key question is whether existing Starlink dishes will be able to access the improved speeds. So far, SpaceX hasn’t responded to a request for comment.

In the meantime, the company’s filing to the FCC says the proposed upgrades to the second-generation Starlink network won’t generate radio interference with other networks. But SpaceX’s rivals might object, as they have before in previous FCC filings.

BREAKING: MEGA MILITARY CONTRACTOR CAUGHT FAKING SATELLITE DATA TO TAKE DOWN STARLINK

SpaceX just exposed a dirty ploy by Lockheed Martin and Omnispace to block Starlink’s direct-to-cell service.

Lockheed’s partner allegedly rigged their aging satellite to fake interference and filed bogus FCC complaints, trying to stop Starlink from dominating the 5G space.

In a bombshell FCC filing, SpaceX revealed how Omnispace manipulated its MEO satellite to “intentionally detect” Starlink signals—despite the satellite barely being operational.

SpaceX slammed the claims as “bizarre,” accusing Omnispace of creating “artificial conditions” to fake interference.

The plot thickens: Omnispace refused standard coordination talks and went as far as licensing through Papua New Guinea to dodge regulations.

It’s all part of an effort to sabotage Starlink’s $34.9 billion future in global communications.

Will the FCC see through this sham, or will Lockheed’s shady tactics derail Starlink’s revolution?

Sources: FCC Filing, SpaceNews, @Starlink

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Hadn't heard that, but looks like this has been rumbling for a while https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/1524...ference-claims

NEWS: Starlink Mini review by The Verge

“Starlink Mini combines the terminal and Wi-Fi router into a single dish that’s so efficient, it can be powered by a portable battery.

After more than a month of regular use in five European countries with up to 10 active devices on the same connection, I can say that if you’re looking for fast internet with low latency, Starlink Mini is for you. It’s the most energy-efficient Starlink terminal SpaceX offers, and the most portable by a mile — an absolute game-changer for anyone who wants to stay fully connected in areas too remote for broadband.”

https://www.theverge.com/24275688/st...ack-comparison

NEWS: @SpaceX only needs five more Starlink launches to complete the first commercial Direct to Cell (DTC) constellation, according to SpaceX Sr Director of Satellite Engineering Ben Longmier.

Upcoming Starlink launches:
1 → Group 9-10, today
2 → Group 6-77, Sunday

NEWS:

@SpaceX is working on launching @Starlink satellite internet service in Nepal.

Starlink representatives including Director Rebecca Slick recently presented a demo of how its satellite network works to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other high-ranking officials.

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Can't see that being "Allowed"

Elon Musk:

Starlink is how we are paying for humanity to get to Mars.

That’s why there is a Hohmann transfer orbit diagram on the Starlink router.

BREAKING: SpaceX has just completed its first @Starlink Direct to Cell (DTC) commercial orbital satellite constellation after this morning's launch of 12 DTC satellites!

The 320+ DTC Starlink satellites (and counting) in orbit will enable ubiquitous access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal waters. Direct to Cell will also connect IoT devices with common LTE standards.

​​​​​​​Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required. First services launch first half of 2025.

The following telcos have already signed onto Starlink direct to cell:
• T-Mobile (USA)
• Optus (Australia)
• Rogers (Canada)
• One NZ (New Zealand)
• KDDI (Japan)
• Salt (Switzerland)
• Entel (Chile)
• Entel (Peru)

Here is the @SpaceX team having a video call on 𝕏 via Starlink's direct to cell satellites:

Something old and something new in electric propulsion 🚀

The lower box is one the earliest spacecraft ion thrusters (from EOS circa 1962), and on top is a new arrival, a modern marvel from the SpaceX Starlink satellites used for on orbit maneuvering. SpaceX has mastered Argon Hall Effect thrusters, something no one else has been able to do. This affords a higher power density (4.2kW in 2.1kg) and much lower cost gas (about $10 per satellite) than prior designs using Krypton or Xenon. This is one of the early 2023 flight units for@Starlink V2 Mini, and the only one outside the company.

These thrusters are for in-space use only, and while they have relatively low thrust, they can run continuously for long periods with a very high ISP, and they are compact and reliable. They are commonly used for satellite station keeping and interplanetary missions, where this Argon thruster could reduce a 5-year transit time to months.

The backside of the SpaceX thruster shows how simple it is, with gas lines and wires for the cathode and electrode, insulated with Boron Nitride on the other side and permanent magnets for lensing of the streams.

Ben Longmier, lead designer of the SpaceX thruster, helped identify the old one I had in my collection. It appears to be “a development unit or early flight unit for a Cesium thruster from EOS (Electro-Optical Systems). The black component underneath the thruster looks to be the propellant tank and you can see several heaters wrapped around and brazed in place. A porous plug would have been used as a ‘valve,’ which takes advantage of a metal wetting and vapor pressure trick to throttle the propellant flow vs. temperature of the porous sintered metal plug.”

The final EOS thruster design is in the Smithsonian. It was successfully tested twice in space on flights of Air Force Blue Scout missiles in 1964.

Back in 1912, Goddard postulated that high-velocity streams of electrons and positive ions could be “energized” by solar-electric power supplies to provide thrust for an interplanetary spacecraft. He went further to suggest that the source of the ions could come from exposing alkaline atoms, such as mercury or cesium, to hot tungsten surfaces. He was spot on!

And more history from Ben: “One of the original Peenemunde rocket scientists on Von Braun’s team was Ernst Stuhlinger, who moved his family to what would become Marshall Spaceflight Center in Alabama. Ernst was close to Von Braun and worked on a lot of the early projects. In the later years of the US space program, both Ernst and Von Braun had dreams of expanding beyond the moon and sending craft deeper into the solar system, specifically Mars. One of Ernst’s concepts involved solar powered craft that would use Cesium ion thrusters to achieve a very high payload fraction delivered from Earth C3 to Mars injection orbit. This was an early solar electric propulsion concept that would ultimately never fly due to the wind down of budgets.”

And now, with the modern revival of a Mars program, the SpaceX Marslink satellites take us from dream to dream.

I borrow this phrase form the closing of Andrew Chaiken’s A Man on the Moon: “Historians of the far future may look back on Apollo and the missions that are yet to come as one great Age of Space Exploration. But in my mind’s eye it is a slow dissolve, from memory to anticipation, from what has been to what will be, from dream to dream.”

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Tbps = Terabytes per second = 1000 Gigabytes per second.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b328af732.jpeg

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Italy Plans $1.6 Billion SpaceX Telecom Security Services Deal

Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for a deal to provide secure telecommunications for the nation’s government — the largest such project in Europe, people with knowledge of the matter said Sunday - Bloomberg

"secure" an odd thing to highlight. Resilient? Yes. Deployable? Yes. Secure.... Can do that across any datalink.

Starlink Simulators spotted inside Starfactory! 10 in total visible that are possibly the 10 to be loaded into Starship 33's PEZ Dispenser for Starship test flight 7. Very cool!

Starlink direct from satellite to cell phone Internet connection starts beta test in 3 days.

​​​​​​​STARLINK’S NEXT BIG THING: CELL SERVICE FROM SPACE

SpaceX is testing a game-changing Starlink upgrade: Direct-to-Cell satellites that connect mobile phones to cellular service anywhere on Earth—even in the middle of nowhere.

These satellites act as “cell towers in space,” letting you text, call, or browse without needing a signal from ground towers. No new phone or hardware required!

The beta starts Jan. 27 and aims to eliminate dead zones worldwide, making it possible to call for help, no matter where you are.

Source: NASASpaceFlight

SPACEX TAKES ON BIG WIRELESS IN FIGHT FOR FCC SPECTRUM

SpaceX is pushing back against Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile as the FCC prepares to review the future of the upper C-band spectrum.

While Big Wireless wants exclusive control for 5G, SpaceX is demanding a shared model that includes satellite operators - paving the way for next-gen 6G connectivity.

SpaceX warns that handing over the spectrum to telecom giants would stifle innovation and limit U.S leadership in space-based communication.

Instead, Elon's vision calls for a seamless integration of satellite and terrestrial networks, breaking the monopoly of legacy carriers.

With @BrendanCarrFCC as the new Chairman of the FCC, the monopoly of Big Wireless may soon be over.

Source: https://spacenews.com/fcc-sets-stage...band-showdown/

That's going to be a big fight....

Meanwhile, T-Mobile ad…..

Huge, huge SpaceX transaction.

SpaceX is buying EchoStar’s AWS-4, H-block, MSS spectrum licenses for: - $17B ($8.5B cash + $8.5B stock at $400B valuation) - $2B of interest payment help.

The spectrum is super important for Starlink DTC as it reduces reliance on mobile carriers.

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Wow. That's a big chunk of cash and will make some mobile operators very worried indeed. Anyone had any experience of Sat based mobile broadband? My only taste was nibbling 20 years ago when we had a dish up and latency measured in calendar months :)

Excellent analysis of the SpaceX spectrum deal from @TMFAssociates, who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.

In short, SpaceX appears to be trying to force Apple's hand.

https://tinyurl.com/ys26s36v

SPACEX NEWS: Today in Paris at the World Space Business Week, SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell stated the company plans to begin testing Direct-to-Cell (DTC) services using its newly acquired $17 billion S-band spectrum from EchoStar, and will conduct phone tests by late 2026. They also aim to launch their next-gen Starlink DTC satellites in two years.

The project requires new satellite payloads, collaborations with chip manufacturers for phone integration, and agreements with mobile network operators to wholesale capacity globally.

"This is the start, by the way, of a huge amount of work. We’re working with chip manufacturers to get the proper chips in phones."

Gwynne highlighted Starship's progress, via Flight 10 and V3's first launch is targeted for late 2025 or early 2026. V3 will enable propellant transfer in low Earth orbit. She also expressed confidence in docking based on Dragon experience.

On Flight 10, "My Starship team needed that win... I was really pleased. They did a great job. We met every mission objective that we wanted to."

https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/1601...-carrier-plans

SpaceX Eyes 15,000 More Satellites for Cellular Starlink, Hints at Carrier Plans

SpaceX wants to launch as many as 15,000 next-generation satellites to upgrade its cellular Starlink service for phones.

On Friday, the company filed a request with the FCC for the additional satellites, which will harness the radio spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from Boost Mobile's parent, EchoStar, in a $17 billion deal. "This new system of up to 15,000 satellites will provide ubiquitous connectivity to ordinary mobile handsets and a range of other devices and user terminals,” the company wrote.

The filing offers some additional details about SpaceX’s effort to upgrade its cellular Starlink system through the EchoStar deal. The system currently spans over 650 "direct-to-cell" Starlink satellites, which can beam connectivity to phones in cellular dead zones.

It currently supports satellite-powered text messaging and even video calls over WhatsApp. But with the EchoStar spectrum, SpaceX says it can deliver a 20-fold increase in throughput to the user for performance comparable to 4G LTE.

In the filing, SpaceX says the satellite system “will consist of a constellation of low and very low Earth orbit satellites that will leverage SpaceX’s existing ground equipment as well as add new equipment that aims to optimize performance for consumers.”

In November, the FCC cleared SpaceX to orbit some Starlink satellites as low as 340 kilometers in orbit, so long as the company coordinates with NASA. The company’s new application ]requests to orbit the next-generation cellular Starlink satellites ever closer to Earth, from between 326 kilometers to 335km, which would likely help reduce their latency when connecting to phones below.

The satellites will harness the EchoStar spectrum and partner T-Mobile’s 1.91 to 1.995GHz bands for US operations and a wide range of bands for international markets......

Musk has also said his company will need at least two years before smartphone chipsets support the EchoStar radio frequencies. This week, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell added that the company has started working on bringing the needed chipsets to the latest phones. But requiring FCC approval for the proposed constellation for the cellular Starlink service will also take time.

The proposal for the 15,000 satellite system arrives a year after SpaceX made an earlier FCC request to operate up to 29,988 satellites for home broadband-focused Starlink service with the goal of delivering gigabit speeds.

…………..

With this and all the new launch providers in the game, I'd be amazed if we don't trigger the Kessler Syndrome sometime in the next few years :bored:
The "As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed" quote from SpaceX in this incident was a tad concerning

Starlink Mobile’s next-gen satellites will deliver 5G speeds from space with 100x the data density of the current V1 generation satellites.

V2 satellites will seamlessly enable streaming, internet browsing, high-speed apps and voice calls, just like being connected to a terrestrial network →

https://starlink.com/business/mobile

https://www.l3harris.com/all-capabil...​​

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