SpaceX Has a Plan for Starlink to Hit Gigabit Speeds | EUROtoday

SpaceX is in search of approval for modifications to Starlink that the corporate says will allow gigabit-per-second broadband service. In an utility submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission on October 11, SpaceX claims the requested “modification and its companion amendment will enable the Gen2 system to deliver gigabit-speed, truly low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity to all Americans and the billions of people globally who still lack access to adequate broadband.”

SpaceX stated it’s in search of “several small-but-meaningful updates to the orbital configuration and operational parameters for its Gen2 space station authorization to improve space sustainability, better respond to evolving demand, and more efficiently share spectrum with other spectrum users.”

SpaceX needs to decrease the altitudes of satellites “at 525 km, 530 km, and 535 km to 480 km, 485 km, and 475 km altitude, respectively.” The reconfiguration will improve the “potential maximum number of orbital planes and satellites per plane” whereas conserving the deliberate whole variety of second-generation satellites at 29,988 or much less. The FCC has to this point authorized 7,500 Gen2 satellites.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote Monday that “next generation Starlink satellites, which are so big that only Starship can launch them, will allow for a 10X increase in bandwidth and, with the reduced altitude, faster latency.”

SpaceX promised gigabit speeds in 2016, when the satellite tv for pc system was simply within the planning levels and did not actually have a identify but. “Once fully optimized through the Final Deployment, the system will be able to provide high bandwidth (up to 1 Gbps per user), low-latency broadband services for consumers and businesses in the US and globally,” SpaceX instructed the FCC in November 2016.

As for precise speeds in 2024, Starlink’s web site says “users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, with a majority of users experiencing speeds over 100 Mbps. Upload speeds are typically between 5 and 20 Mbps. Latency ranges between 25 and 60 ms on land, and 100+ ms in certain remote locations.”

Changing Satellite Elevation Angles

Another request would change the elevation angles of satellites to enhance community efficiency, SpaceX stated. “SpaceX seeks to lower its minimum elevation angle from 25 degrees to 20 degrees for satellites operating between 400 and 500 kilometers altitude,” SpaceX instructed the FCC. “Reducing the minimum elevation angle in this way will enhance customer connectivity by allowing satellites to connect to more earth stations directly and to maintain connections with earth stations for a longer period of time while flying overhead.”

Meanwhile, upgrades to Starlink’s Gen2 satellites “will feature enhanced hardware that can use higher gain and more advanced beamforming and digital processing technologies and provide more targeted and robust coverage for American consumers,” SpaceX stated.

SpaceX can be in search of extra versatile use of spectrum licenses to assist its deliberate cell service and the present residence web service. The firm requested for permission “to use Ka-, V-, and E-band frequencies for either mobile- or fixed-satellite use cases where the US or International Table of Frequency Allocations permits such dual use and where the antenna parameters would be indistinguishable.”