FCC Votes on Auctioning Prime Spectrum for Direct-to-Device Services
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it will vote on auctioning 25 megahertz of prime spectrum to support direct-to-device services from satellites to smartphones. The FCC also plans to take public comment on a proposal offering an additional 482MHz for supplemental satellite coverage and modernizing rules for D2D services in licensed spectrum. These proposals could benefit companies like SpaceX and Amazon, which are expanding their satellite-based connectivity networks. Amazon recently acquired Globalstar for over $11.5 billion to bolster its low-Earth orbit (LEO) internet business and has requested FCC approval to launch up to 5,105 satellites targeting underserved users. The FCC also aims to remove an outdated restriction preventing drone operations in the 800 MHz Cellular band. SpaceX recently received approval for a new direct-to-cell system involving 15,000 satellites using spectrum acquired from EchoStar.
Topics: direct-to-device services FCC satellite networks spectrum auction