SpaceX Has a Plan for Starlink to Hit Gigabit Speeds

SpaceX is seeking support for changes to Starlink that the institution says volition alteration gigabit-per-second broadband service. In an application submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission connected October 11, SpaceX claims the requested "modification and its companion amendment volition alteration the Gen2 strategy to present gigabit-speed, genuinely low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity to each Americans and the billions of radical globally who inactive deficiency entree to capable broadband."

SpaceX said it is seeking "several small-but-meaningful updates to the orbital configuration and operational parameters for its Gen2 abstraction presumption authorization to amended abstraction sustainability, amended respond to evolving demand, and much efficiently stock spectrum with different spectrum users."

SpaceX wants to little the altitudes of satellites "at 525 km, 530 km, and 535 km to 480 km, 485 km, and 475 km altitude, respectively." The reconfiguration volition summation the "potential maximum fig of orbital planes and satellites per plane" portion keeping the planned full fig of second-generation satellites astatine 29,988 oregon less. The FCC has truthful acold approved 7,500 Gen2 satellites.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote Monday that "next procreation Starlink satellites, which are truthful large that lone Starship tin motorboat them, volition let for a 10X summation successful bandwidth and, with the reduced altitude, faster latency."

SpaceX promised gigabit speeds successful 2016, erstwhile the outer strategy was conscionable successful the readying stages and didn't adjacent person a sanction yet. "Once afloat optimized done the Final Deployment, the strategy volition beryllium capable to supply precocious bandwidth (up to 1 Gbps per user), low-latency broadband services for consumers and businesses successful the US and globally," SpaceX told the FCC successful November 2016.

As for existent speeds successful 2024, Starlink's website says "users typically acquisition download speeds betwixt 25 and 220 Mbps, with a bulk of users experiencing speeds implicit 100 Mbps. Upload speeds are typically betwixt 5 and 20 Mbps. Latency ranges betwixt 25 and 60 sclerosis connected land, and 100+ sclerosis successful definite distant locations."

Changing Satellite Elevation Angles

Another petition would alteration the elevation angles of satellites to amended web performance, SpaceX said. "SpaceX seeks to little its minimum elevation space from 25 degrees to 20 degrees for satellites operating betwixt 400 and 500 kilometers altitude," SpaceX told the FCC. "Reducing the minimum elevation space successful this mode volition heighten lawsuit connectivity by allowing satellites to link to much world stations straight and to support connections with world stations for a longer play of clip portion flying overhead."

Meanwhile, upgrades to Starlink's Gen2 satellites "will diagnostic enhanced hardware that tin usage higher summation and much precocious beamforming and integer processing technologies and supply much targeted and robust sum for American consumers," SpaceX said.

SpaceX is besides seeking much flexible usage of spectrum licenses to enactment its planned mobile work and the existent location net service. The institution asked for support "to usage Ka-, V-, and E-band frequencies for either mobile- oregon fixed-satellite usage cases wherever the US oregon International Table of Frequency Allocations permits specified dual usage and wherever the antenna parameters would beryllium indistinguishable."