SpaceX asks the FCC to be cautious of rival AST SpaceMobile’s European backers, whilst forgetting that T-Mobile is also owned by a European company.
After local rivals, European telecom operators have also banded together against T-Mobile and SpaceX’s direct-to-cellular service. In its counterattack, SpaceX may have unintentionally cast T-Mobile in an unfavourable light.
At the center of the fued is SpaceX’s quest to get the Federal Communications Commission to relax its -120 dBW/m2/MHz aggregate power flux-density PFD limit. Previously, four companies, including AT&T and Verizon which have inked deals with satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile, had written letters to the FCC to stress the importance of retaining the current out-of-band PFD limit. They argued that a relaxed limit may harm their operations.
This has been echoed in a letter leading European operators – including Orange, PPF Telecom Group, Telefónica, Telenor, United Group, and Vodafone – wrote to the FCC.
They have requested the FCC to « reject any effort to relax its aggregate Out-of-Band-Emission (« OOBE ») limit of-120 dBW/m2/MHz », claiming it is the bare minimum level of protection that is needed by mobile operators to provide the existing level of service.
