SpaceX claims Starlink can offer gigabit speeds if FCC approves new plan

image via Ars Technica

October 15, 2024, 6:42 PM

• •SpaceX is seeking approval for changes to Starlink that the company says will enable gigabit-per-second broadband service.
• •SpaceX wants to lower the altitudes of satellites and change the elevation angles to improve network performance.
• •SpaceX is also seeking more flexible use of spectrum licenses to support its planned mobile service and the current home Internet service.

SpaceX is seeking approval for changes to Starlink that the company says will enable gigabit-per-second broadband service. SpaceX said it is seeking "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 wants to lower 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 increase the "potential maximum number of orbital planes and satellites per plane" while keeping the planned total number of second-generation satellites at 29,988 or less. The FCC has so far approved 7,500 Gen2 satellites.

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