Photo: SpaceX
After SpaceX’s Starlink iOS app hit 2.3 million downloads last month, the company is saying its low-Earth orbit satellite internet service could be affected by 5G mobile networks more than it originally expected.
SpaceX says that U.S. plans to use the Ku-band 5G network could disrupt Starlink’s service even more than previously thought, according to an analysis shared by engineering consulting firm Savid (via Space News).
The statements were made on October 4 by SpaceX, saying the study results validate an in-house study the company performed in June. The prior study found that Starlink would become unusable for most U.S. residents if a 5G high-powered mobile network was unveiled for use on 12 GHz frequencies in the country.
SpaceX Donates Starlink Kits for Hurricane Ian Relief in Florida https://t.co/soMLCk4068
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) October 2, 2022
“SpaceX may have underestimated the likelihood of interference and potential harm to Starlink services,” said SpaceX Senior Director of Satellite Policy David Goldman in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Currently, Starlink uses the 12 GHz spectrum to connect its satellites to terminals purchased by users.
Dish and RS Access noted that certain techniques could mitigate the issue on affected terminals, and the latter company even commissioned RKF Engineering Solutions to perform a study that found that such a network would impact less than 1 percent of terminals connecting to satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO).
“SpaceX’s latest submission follows the company’s familiar pattern: making exaggerated claims in service of trapping 500 MHz of 5G-ready spectrum,” said Dish executive vice president for external and legislative affairs Jeff Blum in an email.
“It is no surprise that yesterday’s filing from SpaceX includes a flawed technical analysis that purports – unsuccessfully – to rebut the multiple studies submitted to the FCC from the best experts in the field that have concluded that co-existence is eminently possible.”
