Since April, SpaceX and T-Mobile have been causing waves over satellite spectrum usage. The two companies originally announced a plan last August to work together to provide direct satellite to mobile coverage, much to the dismay of other internet providers.
Notably, DISH Network and AT&T have been vocal about their disdain for this partnership, claiming it would essentially eliminate any competitors’ stake in the industry. The Federal Communications Commission already agreed to approve the partnership back in March, but other internet providers have since convinced the Commission to place a pause until additional hearings were concluded on June 2nd.
DISH Network stated, “Given the risk of harmful interference to existing adjacent bands and adjacent country and international services, SpaceX must provide all the facts now, on the front end, before the Commission moves forward with any application.”
On May 18th, AT&T filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission to reject the proposal claiming this deal would jeopardize terrestrial wireless services, joining DISH Network’s ongoing petition to terminate the partnership.
“The Commission should seek clarification from SpaceX regarding how it will ensure that its service will not cause interference to other authorized terrestrial services, including T-Mobile’s own operations in the PCS G Block,” sources report.
AT&T has appealed to the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau saying the company is willing to “lease certain spectrum to AST for the provision of supplemental satellite services” but refuses to do so in its own terrestrial cellular network.
SpaceX has requested licensure modification to enhance its second-generation Starlink satellites to enable mobile communication capacities to use 1910-1915 MHz for Earth-to-space and 1900-1995 MHz for space-to-Earth bands.
SpaceX alleges these companies are resorting to “the growingly common tactic of trying to have the Commission force SpaceX to make public unrelated proprietary information for unnecessary but competitively harmful reasons.”
In response to the band of networks against the deal, T-Mobile claims the devices used for satellite communications with Starlink will stay the same and will not cause any interference, including within its own terrestrial network.