SpaceX set to improve Starlink Internet speeds ahead of spring IPO
SpaceX is angling to squeeze more upload speed out of its Starlink dishes by petitioning the FCC for additional spectrum access that will allow it to jump drastically from the current 10-30 Mbps uplink.
The company has been seeking waivers of the US Table of Frequency Allocations to operate in additional frequency bands in its adjacent 13.75 - 14.0 GHz and 14.5 - 14.8 GHz ranges. SpaceX is courting the FCC by saying it targets symmetrical download and upload speeds that would give rural American consumers and businesses something approaching fiber-like service from orbit.
In a filing submitted the week of March 16, SpaceX argued that the current regulatory framework "shackles next-generation satellite operations," protecting what it described as outdated geostationary systems at the expense of millions of broadband consumers. Needless to say, the competition is pushing back hard, with Viasat characterizing SpaceX's push for higher transmission power as an unacceptable interference risk, but the FCC has so far granted everything SpaceX asks it to.
It had previously cleared SpaceX to operate across five frequencies with speeds potentially reaching gigabit levels once SpaceX started launching the big V3 satellites, but Starlink's upload speeds have long lagged behind downloads. That has been a source of frustration for video creators, remote workers, and anyone who does more than just consume content from their satellite dish.
The spectrum push lands at a pivotal corporate moment, too. SpaceX is reportedly aiming to file its initial public offering prospectus with regulators this week or next, with analysts predicting the company could seek to raise more than $75 billion. The prediction platform Kalshi has seen over $950,000 wagered on when the IPO announcement will drop and is now raising the probability that it may happen as soon as this week with faster, more symmetrical Starlink service serving as a compelling sales pitch to public investors, not that SpaceX needs any more interest in its IPO, which could run out to be the largest ever at a $1.75 trillion valuation.
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