SpaceX is seeking approval for changes to Starlink that the company says will enable gigabit-per-second broadband services. In a filing with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Oct. 11, SpaceX claims the requested “change and accompanying amendment will enable the Gen2 system to deliver gigabit speeds, truly low latency broadband, and ubiquitous cellular connectivity to all Americans and the billions people.” of people worldwide who still do not have access to adequate broadband.”
SpaceX said it is seeking “several small but meaningful updates to the orbital configuration and operating parameters for its Gen2 space station authorization to improve space sustainability, better respond to changing demand, and more efficiently share spectrum with other spectrum users .”
SpaceX wants to lower the altitude of satellites “at 525 km, 530 km and 535 km to 480 km, 485 km and 475 km altitude respectively.” The reconfiguration will increase the “potential maximum number of orbital planes and satellites per aircraft” while keeping the planned total number of second-generation satellites at 29,988 or fewer. The FCC has approved 7,500 Gen2 satellites to date.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote Monday that “the next generation of Starlink satellites, which are so large that only Starship can launch them, will enable a tenfold increase in bandwidth and, with the smaller height, faster latency.”
SpaceX promised gigabit speeds in 2016, when the satellite system was only in the planning stages and didn't even have a name yet. “Once fully optimized through final deployment, the system will be able to provide high-bandwidth (up to 1 Gbps per user) and low-latency broadband services to consumers and businesses in the U.S. and globally,” SpaceX told the November 2016 FCC. .
As for actual speeds in 2024, Starlink's website says: “Users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, with the majority of users experiencing speeds in excess of 100 Mbps. Upload speeds typically range between 5 and 20 Mbps. Latency varies between 25 and 60 ms on land, and 100+ ms in certain remote locations.”
Change satellite elevation angles
Another request would change the elevation angles of satellites to improve network performance, SpaceX said. “SpaceX is seeking to reduce the minimum elevation angle from 25 degrees to 20 degrees for satellites operating between 250 and 300 miles in altitude,” SpaceX told the FCC. “Reducing the minimum elevation angle in this way will improve customer connectivity by allowing satellites to connect directly to more ground stations and maintain connections to ground stations for a longer period of time while flying overhead.”
Meanwhile, upgrades to Starlink's Gen2 satellites will include “enhanced hardware that can utilize higher gain and more advanced beamforming and digital processing technologies and provide more targeted and robust coverage for U.S. consumers,” SpaceX said.
SpaceX is also seeking more flexible use of spectrum licenses to support its planned mobile service and current home internet service. The company requested permission “to use Ka, V, and E band frequencies for use via mobile or fixed satellites, where the U.S. or International Frequency Allocations Table permits such dual use and where the antenna parameters would be indistinguishable.”
