SpaceX Wants Dish’s 2GHz Spectrum for Starlink Mobile Service

There’s a frequency fracas brewing in space. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow it to operate a new mobile service in the 2GHz frequency band. The problem: that band is currently licensed to Dish, and the two companies are already at each other’s throats. In what could signal an escalation of tensions, SpaceX accuses Dish of failing to utilize the spectrum, and thus, standing in the way of increased connectivity for consumers.

SpaceX is only the latest entity to call out Dish for the way it uses spectrum licenses. The satellite TV operator has held wireless spectrum for years, but it never progressed beyond small-scale tests. Just a few years ago, T-Mobile urged the FCC to strip Dish of its licenses on the grounds it was hoarding spectrum instead of developing it. However, Dish picked up some divested spectrum when T-Mobile acquired Sprint, further increasing its holdings.

The company’s latest Project Genesis 5G test has very limited coverage, and Dish is already at odds with SpaceX about its proposed expansion into the 12GHz band for 5G. Now, it’s also getting into a battle over the 2GHz band.

SpaceX wants to use this frequency to offer Mobile Satellite Services (MSS), which would allow a smartphone, tablet, or other portable devices to connect to the Starlink network. SpaceX tells the FCC that Starlink MSS could offer high speeds and latency of just 50ms, which is “almost imperceptible to consumers.” This service would be separate from the microwave-frequency (Ka and Ku band) signals in use for the terminal-based Starlink service, which operates in the tens of gigahertz.

Dish currently has a pair of satellites outfitted for MSS, but SpaceX claims Dish has no intention of developing the service. The satellites are more than a decade old, and the license expires in two years. Dish has not announced plans to deploy new satellites, which would be necessary to offer MSS support to consumers. Meanwhile, SpaceX says it can add MSS modules to satellites for which it has already gotten approval. And there’s no doubt it would launch them — SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is a cheap and reliable way to deploy up to 60 Starlink nodes in a single launch. SpaceX already has more than 2,000 satellites in orbit, making it the single largest satellite operator in the world.

Even if the FCC accepts SpaceX’s arguments, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to talk to satellites on your phone tomorrow. The 2GHz frequency block (band 70) is only supported on a few Motorola phones right now. It will take time for more devices to launch with access to these wavelengths. SpaceX could also roll out new terminals that support the lower frequency.

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