UPDATE SpaceX told the FCC that its satellite-to-phone operations that it has proposed with T-Mobile will not cause satellite in-band interference, calling studies submitted by Omnispace’s opposition “unrealistic and incorrect.” The satellite company also rejected concerns about cross-border and adjacent-band interference.
“SpaceX’s EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) towards Omnispace’s satellites averages -30 dBm/Hz, not -10.3 dBm/Hz, [much lower than] Omnispace assumed,” the filing said. “Omnispace selected a transient worst-case example that is not representative of how satellites actually operate.” Additionally, SpaceX said the aggregate interference of the SpaceX SCS downlink into the Omnispace satellite uplink would fall “significantly below internal noise power.”
SpaceX said it will observe power limits that will protect cross-border terrestrial users from harmful interference. SpaceX has designed its system to dynamically avoid international borders, only exceeding them with approval from the regulatory authority of the border country.
SpaceX said its operations will protect adjacent band users, making sure out-of-band emissions will fall below the noise floor. “SpaceX operations will fall below the noise floor by the time they reach TerreStar satellites, which are only ‘nearly adjacent’ to the PCS G Block,” the company said in its filing. “Operations in practice may use even lower power, causing even less impact to TerreStar operations.”
SpaceX said the satellite/terrestrial partnership will leverage T-Mobile’s exclusive, nationwide PCS G Block spectrum and SpaceX’s next-generation satellite capabilities to extend the reach of T-Mobile’s mobile service to its subscribers in remote areas.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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