SpaceX's 2 GHz Drive: Boost D2D Plans and Block EchoStar's

SpaceX has petitioned the FCC for 2 GHz access (see 2402230027) and argued that EchoStar is underutilizing its assets there (see 2505070012). The FCC Space Bureau opened a pair of EchoStar-related proceedings: one about whether the company is using the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite service (MSS), consistent with its authorizations and agency rules, and the other seeking comment on VTel Wireless' recon petition regarding the bureau's extension of 5G network buildout deadlines (see 2505130003).

The advantage of the spectrum is that it's licensed for cellular use as well as satcom, Recon Analytics’ Roger Entner told us. He said SpaceX’s move for the spectrum is clearly competitive since it and EchoStar are best equipped to offer large-scale D2D service. Starlink has a head start, and EchoStar's plans could be impeded by having to share the spectrum, he said.

Independent satcom adviser Carlos Placido emailed us that AWS-4 "is not just another spectrum band for mobile communications" because it allows equal-priority use for satellite and terrestrial services in the U.S. Access to the band "is key" for SpaceX's plans, he added. Using mobile bands that allow satellite use on a secondary basis means operators like SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile have to avoid interfering with terrestrial infrastructure like cell towers, he said. The result can be power density restrictions and exclusion zones around populated areas, he said. With AWS-4 access, SpaceX wouldn't have exclusion zones and could offer broader D2D service, potentially letting cellphones connect using lower elevation angles, he said, meaning SpaceX would need fewer satellites for continuous coverage.

SpaceX's push for 2 GHz access may be about improving its D2D service, but "there is also the strategic consideration of competition with EchoStar," as well as with some wireless carriers that SpaceX partners with today, he said. A foothold in the spectrum could mean SpaceX "extend[ing] its influence into remote areas where wireless carriers provide services terrestrially."

The EchoStar-SpaceX fight over the 2 GHz band is "an existential battle for both companies," telecom analyst Tim McDonald wrote last week. Losing exclusive use of part of the S band "would undermine years of investment and strategic positioning" for EchoStar, McDonald said. For SpaceX, the access "could potentially eliminate its dependence on carrier partnerships" for D2D service. However, D2D service has fundamental technical limitations that EchoStar's AWS-4 spectrum won't fix, he said, adding that most consumer devices aren't designed to work with the AWS-4 band. Given how satellite signals struggle to penetrate buildings, dense urban environments and even tree cover, Starlink's D2D service "would remain complementary to terrestrial networks rather than competitive," even if it had dedicated spectrum.

At the FCC

The FCC isn't extending deadlines for comments and replies in a pair of EchoStar proceedings, its Wireless Bureau said Thursday. It said Incompas' request for more time (see 2505190056) doesn't offer adequate justification. SpaceX opposed the extension.

Sharing the 2 GHz band isn't technically feasible, EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen told FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, according to a docket 25-173 filing posted Thursday to recap their meeting. EchoStar said it needs to retain exclusive access to the band, as sharing would "cripple its present, and planned, terrestrial and MSS operations, all to the detriment of competition and national security." EchoStar also advised that any actions undercutting its 5G open radio access network (ORAN) deployment "would undermine the efforts of the Administration and the Commission to continue to deliver for the American people." It said it's also working toward ORAN D2D satellite service. EchoStar already provides commercial messaging and narrowband D2D series and will commercialize similar services "in the near future" in the U.S. using its 2 GHz satellites, the company said.

Let EchoStar keep its licenses so it can remain "a key participant in the market for 5G retail wireless services," the Computer & Communications Industry Association said in a filing posted Friday (docket 22-212). The group said the record shows that EchoStar "has consistently and diligently built out the facilities that offer and operate 5G services under the Licenses." It said wireless market concentration has been a concern for years, and EchoStar's ORAN 5G network helps provide needed competition. The deadline extensions EchoStar received for its 5G buildout are consistent with past commission precedent, it added.

While SpaceX has argued that EchoStar's MSS spectrum is underutilized based on RF spectral density measurements, EchoStar has responded that it has 24,000 5G towers operational, wrote Frank Rayal, co-founder of telecom advisory firm Xona Partners. "The subtle difference in the arguments is between 'utilization' and 'deployment,'" Rayal said Friday. A question being raised is whether spectrum license rights should be based on utilization or deployment, he added.