Elon Musk owned-SpaceX is lobbying the United States’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block Globalstar’s plans to launch a new constellation of 48 low-Earth orbit satellites. Globalstar’s “C3” constellation aims to enhance satellite features on future iPhones, partially funded by a $1 billion investment from Apple. SpaceX wants the FCC should dismiss Globalstar’s application, as the C3 constellation will utilize radio spectrum in the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands, which are currently under scrutiny at the FCC. The Commission is considering whether to open these bands to all satellite companies, following a request from SpaceX.
SpaceX contends that the FCC should first open the bands to sharing among mobile satellite services before making any decisions on Globalstar’s application. “Doing so would be the fairest and most expeditious route to determine the appropriate regulatory regime to govern operations in a band that has not been examined in nearly 20 years,” SpaceX wrote in a letter to the FCC.
Globalstar did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but this letter marks the latest development in an ongoing regulatory dispute between SpaceX and Globalstar over control of the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Globalstar and Iridium were granted exclusive access to the spectrum, but SpaceX has been lobbying for shared access to support its own cellular Starlink system, which currently relies on T-Mobile spectrum in the 1.9GHz bands in the U.S.
In response, Globalstar warns that opening the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands to other companies could cause interference with its own satellite network, potentially disrupting satellite connectivity for iPhones. “There is no public interest justification for undermining the spectrum environment upon which Globalstar has relied,” the company’s lawyers told the FCC during a meeting with Chairman Brendan Carr.
SpaceX’s letter emphasizes that opening the radio bands for sharing “would ensure the most consistent treatment, efficient sharing, and robust competition between Globalstar and other next-generation satellite systems – including SpaceX – who have sought to finally make productive use of this long-fallow spectrum.”
Additionally, SpaceX pointed out that a previous FCC ruling from a year ago stated that “the commission is currently not accepting applications for new MSS entrants in the 1.6/2.4 GHz and 2 GHz bands.” As a result, SpaceX believes the FCC should deny Globalstar’s application.
SpaceX’s Starlink is operational in 19 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Malawi. However, the company has faced challenges in launching in South Africa. Elon Musk claimed that the issue was due to him not being Black, but South African authorities denied this, stating that Starlink has not yet applied for the necessary license.
