Rosenworcel envisions a seamless ‘Single Network Future’
With interest in integration of satellite and terrestrial networks on the rise in order to provide ubiquitous coverage, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed a new regulatory framework meant to support collaborations between satellite and wireless terrestrial network operators.
“We will not be successful in our effort to make … always-on connectivity available
to everyone, everywhere if we limit ourselves to using only one technology. We are going to need it all—fiber networks, licensed terrestrial wireless systems, next-generation unlicensed technology, and satellite broadband,” said Rosenworcel, calling this type of seamless migration among networks the “Single Network Future.” She referenced the availability of emergency SMS service on smartphones via satellite and added, “We are starting to see direct satellite-to-smartphone communication move from sci-fi fantasy to real-world prospect. … For this innovation to have a chance to deliver at scale—and for us to move toward a full Single Network Future with more providers, in more spectrum bands, and a global footprint—regulators will need to develop frameworks that support its development.”
With companies already putting together collaborations such as the one between T-Mobile US and Starlink, the FCC said that it wants to “establish clear and transparent processes to support supplemental coverage from space.” The commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would add a “mobile-satellite service” allocation on some terrestrial flexible-use band and enable satellite operators who are cooperating with terrestrial network operators to get FCC authorization to operate there, or allow authorized (non-geostationary orbit) satellite operators to lease terrestrial spectrum.
“A satellite operator could then serve a wireless provider’s customers should they need connectivity in remote areas,” the FCC explained.
All four Commissioners indicated support for the NPRM. In a statement, Commissioner Brendan Carr referenced the high interest in convergence between space-based and terrestrial wireless systems at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, and said that space-mobile services could both keep users connected in rural and remote areas, and that the NPRM helps support U.S. leadership in the space economy.
The NPRM seeks comment on a number of items, including how to support emergency communications like 911 and wireless emergency alerts when a user is connected via satellite, and what other bands might be candidates for allowing satellite-terrestrial use.
“By providing clear rules, I believe we can kick start more innovation in the space economy while also expanding wireless coverage in remote, unserved, and underserved areas. We can make mobile dead zones a thing of the past. But even better, we have an opportunity to bring our spectrum policies into the future and move past the binary choices between
mobile spectrum on the one hand or satellite spectrum on the other. That means we can reshape the airwave access debates of old and develop new ways to get more out of our spectrum resources,” Rosenworcel said.
