The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has unanimously approved opening 1,300 megahertz of radio spectrum in the 17.3 to 17.8 GHz bands to non-geostationary satellites. This marks a significant milestone for companies like SpaceX’s Starlink and its rivals, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and will benefit consumers with faster internet speeds.
This new allocation, approved on Thursday, allows low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to utilize the newly available spectrum for downlinking purposes—sending data from satellites to Earth—thereby enhancing data transmission capabilities. This is expected to significantly boost the performance of satellite internet services, such as Starlink, bringing higher download speeds and more reliable connectivity. (via PC Mag)
The additional spectrum will be shared with geostationary satellites, which already gained access to these frequencies in 2022. However, the focus of this expansion is on the more agile and closer LEO satellites, which orbit much nearer to Earth than their geostationary counterparts.
By allocating this spectrum, the FCC is not only increasing bandwidth for LEO satellite operators but also encouraging the deployment of next-generation satellite services.
Companies like SpaceX and Amazon have been strong proponents of opening the 17GHz spectrum. SpaceX, in a recent statement to the FCC, highlighted that this new allocation “will bring tremendous benefits to consumers” by making efficient use of spectrum resources.
On the other side, terrestrial telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon have raised concerns. They worry that sharing the 17GHz spectrum with satellite services could lead to interference with their existing networks.
However, the commission assured that the new regulations include protections designed to prevent interference with both higher-orbiting geostationary satellites and ground-based telecommunications services, enabling coexistence between the different technologies operating in the shared spectrum.
