Page 61 - SAMENA Trends - December 2023
P. 61

SATELLITE UPDATES  SAMENA TRENDS

        SpaceX Cleared to Test Satellite Phone Service Via Starlink


        SpaceX has got approval to run tests of a proposed service that   a permanent basis." SpaceX has 180 days to carry out its trials,
        allows unmodified smartphones to make calls via a satellite link.   and  said  in  its  application  these  will  involve  approximately  840
        The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates   satellites  with  direct-to-cellular  payloads,  approximately  60  of
        all things network in the US, has permitted Elon Musk's space biz to   which will be serving handsets in the US under this experimental
        pilot direct-to-cellular communications between everyday cellular   authorization at any given time. The tests are set to be conducted
        phones and its Gen2 Starlink satellites. The space-faring company   using  frequencies  in  the  1910-1915  MHz  and  1990-1995  MHz
        said in its application that "experimental" authority was needed to   bands, otherwise known as the PCS G Block, with the cooperation
        carry out tests as the FCC is still processing SpaceX's application   of T-Mobile USA, which is the licensee of these bands. T-Mobile
        "to enable supplemental coverage from space for consumers on   and  SpaceX  announced  plans  last  year  to  use  satellites  in  low
                                                               Earth  orbit  to provide  a  cellphone  service, claiming  this  would
                                                               extend  coverage  to remote  locations  across  the  US and  its
                                                               territorial waters. Starlink even started advertising a Direct to Cell
                                                               satellite  phone  service  on  its  website  in  October,  claiming  this
                                                               would include a text messaging service starting in 2024, with voice
                                                               and data features added in 2025. SpaceX reckons it will expand
                                                               coverage via agreements  with  carriers in  other regions,  listing
                                                               potential candidates as Rogers in Canada, Optus in Australia, One
                                                               NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland, and KDDI in Japan. This
                                                               experimental authorization follows an earlier partial authorization
                                                               from the FCC for SpaceX to deploy and operate the Gen2 Starlink
                                                               satellites themselves, which was granted only at the start of this
                                                               month.  The  FCC  said  that  action  would  allow  SpaceX  to  begin
                                                               rolling out  Gen2 Starlink, ultimately bringing high-speed satellite
                                                               broadband to Americans nationwide,  and  it  would  protect other
                                                               satellite  and  terrestrial  operators from harmful interference  and
                                                               maintain a safe space environment.




        Thuraya Upgrades Satcoms/Cellular Phone to Offer LTE Functionality


        Proof of the continuing importance of the handheld satellite phone   says it is also ideal for the oil and gas, mining and infrastructure
        market comes with the announcement that Thuraya has launched   development sectors.
        what it calls an enhanced generation of its popular XT-PRO DUAL
        satellite and cellular feature phone. Thuraya Telecommunications
        Company, the mobility arm of the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions
        provider Yahsat, says it is releasing the upgrade to one of Thuraya’s
        top-selling  and  most  popular  phones  as  demand  for  dual-mode
        communications  soars  worldwide.  The  XT-PRO  DUAL  is  a  dual-
        mode,  dual-SIM  satellite-cellular  phone  that  allows  users  to
        move in and out of terrestrial coverage and seamlessly connect
        with ease, regardless of their location. The upgrade means it can
        support  terrestrial  4G  LTE  networks  for  flexible  connectivity.  Of
        course,  the  phone  also  caters  for users  in  harsh  environments,
        and thus the ingress protection has been increased to the IP65/
        IK05 standard, which makes the phone dust and water-resistant
        as  well  as  shockproof. Both  ingress  protection  (IP)  and  impact
        resistance (IK) codes relate to standards prepared and published
        by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The target
        market  for  the  satellite  phone  is  a  wide  one  that  includes  fire
        brigades police forces, officials managing disaster relief efforts,
        border controls  and  coast  guards.  Not  surprisingly,  Thuraya





                                                                                                    61  DECEMBER 2023
   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66