FCC to vote on auctioning 25MHz of prime spectrum for direct-to-device satellite services

The US Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that it will vote on October 29 on whether to advance a new auction of wireless spectrum aimed at boosting “direct-to-device” services, Reuters reports.

The proposal would auction 25 megahertz of prime spectrum in the 1675–1695 MHz and 2020–2025 MHz bands for direct-to-device operations, and make an additional 482 megahertz available for supplemental coverage from space, according to FCC chair Brendan Carr’s announcement covered by Advanced Television. Direct-to-device technology lets ordinary smartphones connect directly to satellites when terrestrial coverage disappears, and is being developed by SpaceX, Amazon’s Leo, and others.

The October 29 open meeting will also include an initial vote on modernising the FCC’s direct-to-device rules and final rules allowing drone operations within the 800 MHz cellular band.

“The ‘direct-to-device’ proposals work to continue leveraging this cutting-edge tech to end cell phone dead zones and provide service directly from next-gen satellite constellations to your smartphone,” Carr said in a statement.

Carr added that a series of upcoming spectrum auctions could generate more than $100 billion in proceeds. The proposals build on the FCC’s January approval of an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, bringing the total to 15,000, and this week’s approval of SpaceX’s plan to use newly acquired EchoStar spectrum for its direct-to-device expansion.