SpaceX's gigabit gateway plans hit a snag as Iridium cries interference

SpaceX's plan to upgrade Starlink to gigabit speeds is facing pushback from satellite communications provider Iridium, which has told the FCC that new ground gateway stations tied to the upgrade risk causing radio interference with its own facilities.

In a letter sent to the FCC on Monday, an attorney for Iridium said the company's own simulations, though not yet complete, show that SpaceX gateways located closest to Iridium's ground stations would produce interference exceeding permissible levels by a wide margin. Iridium is asking the FCC to block SpaceX from using the 19.4 to 19.6 GHz and 29.1 to 29.3 GHz bands across 28 pending gateway applications, arguing SpaceX has not coordinated with Iridium or demonstrated the operations won't cause unacceptable interference, as required under the Commission's rules.

Gateway stations relay data between the ground and Starlink's orbiting satellites. SpaceX already operates more than 100 gateway sites in the US with over 1,500 antennas combined and is building additional sites to support next-generation V3 satellites and gigabit-speed service. In April, SpaceX filed with the FCC to build a new gateway in Bastrop, Texas, requesting access to the same spectrum Iridium uses for feeder links supporting its navigation, messaging, and data services.

SpaceX has disputed Iridium's claims in its own FCC filings, saying its simulations show no interference will occur. The company's satellite policy associate, Matthew Turk, told the Commission in June that the Bastrop gateway sits more than 1,400 kilometers from Iridium's nearest feeder link stations in Chandler and Tempe, Arizona, and that distance and atmospheric attenuation rule out any risk of unacceptable interference. SpaceX has also argued that Iridium's requests would delay the rollout of broadband service to consumers.

Iridium has countered that SpaceX's interference analysis focuses on fixed satellite services rather than mobile satellite services, which it says is the wrong basis for the comparison. In Monday's letter, Iridium said a denial of SpaceX's applications would give both companies room to continue coordination talks, adding that asking the FCC to intervene should be a last resort rather than a first step.