You Are Now Accepting A Very Long-Distance Call: FCC To Propose Regulatory Framework For Satellite-Terrestrial Connectivity [telecom]

[Bill Horne]

by Laura A. Stefani (Washington) and Melanie English (New York)

New opportunities for wireless communication may be coming, as the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers a new regulatory
regime allowing satellite connectivity by consumer handsets on
terrestrial networks. The draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Single
Network Future: Supplemental Coverage from Space,” likely to be
adopted at the FCC's March 16 meeting, proposes to allow mobile
service providers and satellite operators to work together to expand
mobile coverage in remote, unserved, and underserved areas. The FCC is
the first regulator to propose rules to allow what some term “cell
towers in the sky,” something that will support emergency
communications, address the digital divide, and incentivize innovation
in satellite and wireless technologies.

Recent industry announcements related to direct-to-handset satellite
communications seem to have given the FCC the push it needed to
act. In August 2022, SpaceX and T-Mobile announced plans for the
second generation of Starlink satellites to provide connectivity
directly to existing wireless phones, making it possible to offer
service without the need for a cell tower. Google responded by
promising that the next version of its Android phone, the Android 14,
also would provide satellite connectivity. And in November 2022, Apple
and Globalstar announced a service that uses Globalstar's licensed
satellite spectrum to provide emergency messaging when Wi-Fi and
cellular service are not available. Other companies are working on
similar service offerings.

https://www.mondaq.com/article/news/1291748?q=1803232&n=726&tp=7&tlk=10&lk=49

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