Boosting LEO Satellite Capacity: Is the FCC’s Launch on Target?

The number of satellites in orbit, nearly 12,000, has grown dramatically in recent years. SpaceX has more than 7,800 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, serving millions of customers in the United States alone. And with its application pending at the FCC, SpaceX plans to launch a Gen-3 constellation with up to 30,000 satellites—each with 10 times the downlink capacity and more than 20 times the uplink capacity of current satellites. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Kuiper has begun launching its LEO constellation, which will consist of 3,200 satellites. Globally, there are applications for many tens of thousands more.

LEO constellations have enormous potential to extend broadband and smartphone connectivity anywhere and everywhere. But policy decisions pending at the FCC will determine whether or not this potential can be realized. LEO operators must share the airwaves set aside for satellite use and both coexist and compete not only with other LEO satellites, but also with the incumbent geostationary satellites (GSOs) in high orbit above them.

Is there enough spectrum to accommodate this rapid growth and to revolutionize satellite connectivity? How much protection from LEO satellites do GSO satellites and other wireless incumbents need? How should spectrum be shared so that it can be used most efficiently when in demand from multiple services?

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has launched a set of proceedings aimed at what he calls “satellite spectrum abundance.” The proceedings include the investigation of new bands for potential satellite use and a call to substantially increase power for LEO satellites, which the International Telecommunications Union declined to adopt at its last World Radio Conference in 2023. Is he going too far or not far enough to maximize spectrum use for satellites?

Join Wireless Future at New America and the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) to learn how the leading satellite operators and experts are viewing these pending rulemakings and how much, in combination, they will boost LEO satellite capacity and performance.

Panelists:
David Goldman, Vice President, Space Policy, SpaceX
Kalpak Gude, Head of Global Regulatory Affairs, Project Kuiper, Amazon
Patricia Cooper, Space Policy, Strategy, and Regulatory Consultant

Moderator:
Michael Calabrese, Director, Wireless Future, New America