SpaceX turned up the tease factor on a potential launch of its Starlink Mobile as a full-blown wireless communication service, a tease fueled by a recent spectrum haul, plans to launch new satellites, and the word of CEO Elon Musk.
During the company’s latest earnings call this week, SpaceX’s management laid out various reasons why it can be a player in the domestic market’s nearly trillion-dollar mobile telecom space.
COO Gwynne Shotwell noted that the company ended its latest quarter with approximately 10,200 total Starlink satellites in orbit, with roughly 9,600 of those supporting its broadband service, and thus the rest in support of its burgeoning mobile offering.
The broadband offering is the fixed service that provides internet connectivity beamed to object-mounted satellite receivers, while the mobile offering is currently being offered as a text-messaging-based satellite service through already established mobile operators.
Shotwell explained that Starlink’s current mobile service uses about 5 megahertz of spectrum bandwidth, “and we operate that through local telco providers.” The company is also sitting on approximately 65 megahertz of additional spectrum through its deals with EchoStar, “which give massive increase in capability.”
