D2D (Direct to Device) - satcom to cellular

[DocM]

D2D (Direct to Device) - satcom to cellular

Space News article...

Text, voice, and data from what amounts to cell towers in orbit, usable by cellular devices. It would appear in your network settings.

Intended to eliminate black zones, and provide emergency services in  remote areas. 

FCC has given SpaceX permission to test, currently to 4G LTE, with 840 satellites going up in the next few months. This batch went up on Falcon 9, but Starship will be able to launch them in bulk - one of its primary uses. This will be  accomplished by ejecting them from a door like a PEZ dispenser. 

AST SpaceMobile and Lynk are also in the hunt, put on a smaller scale and not as far along.

About the Starlink deployment,

https://spacenews.com/spacex-deploys-direct-to-smartphone-satellites-in-first-launch-of-2024/

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SpaceX deploys direct-to-smartphone satellites in first launch of 2024

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SpaceX plans to start enabling texting from space this year in partnership with cellular operators, with voice and data connectivity coming in 2025, although the company still needs regulatory permission to provide the services commercially.

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AST SpaceMobile said Jan. 2 it is seeking to secure funds this month from “multiple parties” ahead of launching its first five commercial satellites early this year on a Falcon 9.

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Starship Starlink "PEZ dispenser"

 

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British Telecom looking at Starlink D2D partnership. 

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/bt-talks-elon-musk-starlink-155917007.html

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BT in talks with Elon Musk's Starlink for broadband offer

BT is in talks with Elon Musk’s Starlink over a satellite phone and broadband service that could help tackle the plague of so-called rural not spots.

The telecoms giant is testing Starlink equipment at its Adastral Park research centre near Ipswich as it explores ways to deliver connections to hard-to-reach areas.

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17 Mb/s from Starlink D2D  satellite to phone in a cellular black zone.

There may soon be 840 of these satellites.

 

 

Edited March 2, 2024 by DocM

[DocM]

D2D regulatory approval from the FCC under the moniker Supplemental Coverage from Space.

https://spacenews.com/fcc-approves-direct-to-smartphone-regulatory-framework/

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FCC approves direct-to-smartphone regulatory framework

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. regulators have approved ground rules for allowing SpaceX and other satellite operators to use radio waves from terrestrial mobile partners to keep smartphone users connected outside cell tower coverage.

The Federal Communications Commission voted March 14 unanimously in favor of its Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) regulatory framework.

SCS providers would operate as a secondary service to companies providing Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) with conventional frequencies already approved for use from space. 

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Starlink demonstrates D2D (direct to device) video call