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posted by janrinok on Saturday July 02 2022, @11:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the planes-trains-and-automobiles dept.

Internet on the go: FCC greenlights Starlink service on moving cars, boats, and planes:

If you're ready for connectivity on the move, SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband may soon be the answer. The US Federal Communications Commission on Thursday gave the internet provider the greenlight to provide service on moving vehicles, boats, and planes.

The new authority should help SpaceX meet "the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move," wrote FCC International Bureau Chief Tom Sullivan in the approval, "whether driving an RV across the country, moving a freighter from Europe to a U.S. port, or while on a domestic or international flight."

The new approval specifically grants SpaceX authority to operate consumer and enterprise Ku-band Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM) in the 12 GHz band. However, the FCC granted the approval with some conditions.

First, SpaceX has to accept that there could be interference from other current and future operators in the 12 GHz band. SpaceX's authority to operate in the band is unprotected, so if other services interfere with the quality of SpaceX's service, that's simply too bad. The FCC also is requiring SpaceX to disclose to its customers that there's no expectation of interference protection.

The FCC granted SpaceX its new authority over the objections of a handful of other service providers. Satellite broadband provider Viasat, RS Access (a wireless network service backed by Michael Dell), and DISH all petitioned against it. DISH and RS Access already operate in the 12 GHz band, while Viasat is a manufacturer of Ku-band equipment, a provider of Ku-band satellite connectivity, and a Ku-band ESIM licensee.


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  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday July 03 2022, @12:32AM (3 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Sunday July 03 2022, @12:32AM (#1257654)

    Land based cellular companies assume their users are moving around faster than walking speed. Why not SpaceX?

    The exception is airplane travel. There the issue is you go from cell to cell so fast the base station spends more time doing handshakes to change base stations than it does processing the call. There's a big difference between a car doing 60 on the ground, as opposed to an airplane doing 500 MPH 6 miles in the air.

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @01:02AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @01:02AM (#1257661)

      > There's a big difference between a car doing 60 on the ground, as opposed to an airplane doing 500 MPH 6 miles in the air.

      Correct - radiowaves traveling at the speed of light take 0.000000001s to reach the tower from a car compared to 0.000000001s from the airplane. BIG difference.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @01:07AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @01:07AM (#1257662)

        I'm pretty sure that's not the difference he was talking about.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @02:00AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03 2022, @02:00AM (#1257666)

      Land based cellular companies assume their users are moving around faster than walking speed. Why not SpaceX?

      They needed FCC approval for it. Now they have it.

  • (Score: 2) by crafoo on Sunday July 03 2022, @04:58AM

    by crafoo (6639) on Sunday July 03 2022, @04:58AM (#1257681)

    Alright! This is fantastic. I'll be installing.

  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday July 03 2022, @09:19PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 03 2022, @09:19PM (#1257845) Journal

    I believe a single satellite crosses from horizon to horizon in about seven minutes.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Monday July 04 2022, @09:13AM

    by fraxinus-tree (5590) on Monday July 04 2022, @09:13AM (#1257985)

    It used to work for months, it was simply not allowed by the license (it was not explicitly disabled either). It is still not allowed in EU.

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