Satellite

Ookla has data from Q3 and Q4 2022 for SpaceX’s Starlink and Sky Logic in Europe and Oceania, as well as new Starlink markets Ookla hadn't yet featured in its ongoing series on satellite internet. With the Federal Communication Commission greenlighting Amazon’s Project Kuiper and many other exciting satellite developments launching in 2023, all eyes will be on the sky in 2023 as new orbital connectivity options become available for consumers. Several developments from the analysis include:

I want to take on the phrase ‘technology-neutral’. This phrase is being used to justify building technologies that are clearly not as good as fiber. The phrase was used a lot to justify allowing Starlink into the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) reverse auction.

The Federal Communications Commission's International Bureau granted, subject to conditions, the application of Kuiper Systems LLC for modification of its license for a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellation providing fixed-satellite service (FSS) and Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) using Ka-band radio frequencies. Specifically, the bureau grants Kuiper’s request for approval of its updated orbital debris mitigation plan, thereby satisfying a condition of the FCC's action in 2020 conditionally granting Kuiper’s request to deploy and operate its NGSO system. This decision will

Satellite operator Iridium is calling its new Iridium Go Exec device a “satellite access companion.” The device is designed to act more like a Wi-Fi hotspot in comparison with the previous generation device called simply Iridium Go. The new device is also more compact and connects more quickly, according to Iridium. End users will be able to use up to four smartphones and other Wi-Fi devices simultaneously with the device, which is available for sale now.

In a recent article, Joe Madden wrote an article looking at the various wireless technologies he has used at his home in rural central California. Over time he subscribed to a fixed wireless network using Wi-Fi spectrum, cellular LTE broadband, Starlink, and a fixed wireless provider using CBRS spectrum. Madden was able to analyze his broadband performance in ways that are not easily understood by the average subscriber.

Engineering firm Dewberry Alaska—in collaboration with mapping company Ecopia AI, Rasmuson Foundation, and the State of Alaska—is working on a broadband map based on what Ecopia AI is calling “an accurate, up-to-date and complete map of every building, in both rural and urban areas, in the state.” Ecopia AI’s specialty is applying artificial intelligence (AI) to satellite imagery to identify buildings.

Big kudos to the Federal Communications Commission for the release of its Communications Marketplace Report at the end of 2022. This is the first Communications Marketplace Report released under FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s leadership, so none of us should be surprised that there are vast improvements in the information covered.

Space internet has the reputation for slow service. With its questionable signal strength and hardly Netflix-friendly bandwidth, the internet that’s beamed down from low-Earth orbit is the kind of thing you only turn to as a last resort or if you’re stuck on a long-haul flight. But in 2023, satellite-based internet is getting a major revamp. Private companies and governments are getting serious about their space internet projects.

The Federal Communications Commission released an Order adopting the plan to establish a Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs. The planned reorganization will better support the needs of the growing satellite industry, promote long-term technical capacity at the FCC, and help the agency navigate 21st century global communications policy. As part of this plan, the agency will be eliminating the current International Bureau and incorporating that team into the new bureau and office.

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is simultaneously raising the profile of space within the Federal Communications Commission and the FCC within the space industry. In November 2022, Chairwoman Rosenworcel announced plans to create a new Space Bureau within the agency. Space topics, like licensing satellites, had for decades been a part of the FCC’s International Bureau, but she argued the proposed reorganization would free up resources to address the growing number of satellites, particularly in broadband mega-constellations.