SpaceX, T-Mobile defend phone-to-satellite plans

In a new filing with the FCC, T-Mobile and SpaceX provided some more details about how they plan to connect T-Mobile’s customers to SpaceX’s satellites. The move is noteworthy considering the companies are facing static from the likes of Omnispace, AT&T and Dish Network.

“SpaceX’s modification of its second-generation [satellite] system to enable supplemental coverage from space would serve the public interest and advance the commission’s ambitious space agenda,” the companies told several top FCC officials in a meeting last week, according to their recent filing. They urged regulators to approve plans by SpaceX to launch new satellites that would be able to send and receive communications from T-Mobile phones using the operator’s PCS G Block spectrum.

“SpaceX and T-Mobile agreed to technical limits for satellite operations that will protect T-Mobile’s in-band PCS G Block terrestrial operations. SpaceX and T-Mobile will continue to coordinate to enable efficient use of PCS spectrum in the public interest,” the companies told the FCC.

Connecting phones to satellites

At issue are concerns raised in part by Omnispace that Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) communications between T-Mobile customers and SpaceX satellites would cause interference to nearby operations, potentially including Omnispace’s operations. Importantly, Omnispace is hoping to offer its own such phone-to-satellite services via its own spectrum holdings, and therefore could benefit from any delays to T-Mobile’s efforts with SpaceX.

“SpaceX’s SCS operations will not cause interference to out-of-band satellite operations,” SpaceX officials told the FCC last week. The company added it would continue to work with the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and others to ensure its plans won’t affect existing or planned operations.

AT&T and Dish have raised concerns about the T-Mobile and SpaceX efforts. AT&T, for example, argued earlier this year that T-Mobile and SpaceX haven’t sufficiently provided the details necessary to convince regulators to allow them to move forward with their phone-to-satellite plans. AT&T, for its part, is pursuing almost exactly the same service via its own partnership with satellite operator AST SpaceMobile.

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