FCC authorises SpaceX to provide broadband services via satellite constellation

SpaceX has been given approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 low-Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband services.

This is said to be the first approval of a U.S.-licensed satellite constellation and will use frequencies in the Ka (20/30 GHz) and Ku (11/14 GHz) bands to provide global Internet connectivity.

Over the past year, the FCC has approved requests by OneWeb, Space Norway, and Telesat to access the United States market to provide broadband services using satellite technology that holds promise to expand Internet access, particularly in remote and rural areas across the country.

The FCC says these approvals are the first of their kind for a new generation of large, non-geostationary satellite orbit, fixed-satellite service systems, and it will continue to process other, similar requests.