LEO Satellites: Here's What's Been Said in Recent Weeks

LEO satellites are becoming a bigger part of the telecom conversation, as legislation, BEAD projects, industry sentiment, and other factors evolve. 

Here are four quotes that sum up some of the recent highlights in the satellite "space."

1. "There's no time to lose on space traffic coordination. With so many objects being launched into space, we have to do everything we can to ensure space safety…" 

- Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Reuters reports that a U.N. panel in October came to the conclusion that “urgent” action will be needed to coordinate LEO satellite activity and tracking between nations.

Reuters says that the panel is urging that there be a “comprehensive shared database of orbital objects” and a way to track them.

With massive increase in launches and many more projected, the panel, as well as many others, are stressing the risks to communication, for example, if satellite collisions and space junk continue to rise.

Coordination between nations may not be so simple, however, when nations and corporations have concerns over national security, cybersecurity, and private company information.

2. “Once federal funding runs out and BEAD-funded satellites start falling from the sky, it may not be possible for companies to generate enough revenue in the rural areas BEAD targets to safely and effectively operate satellite networks there.”

- Cheri Beranek, Clearfield

Clearfield's CEO Cheri Beranek wrote a piece stressing the limitations of LEO broadband, particularly when it comes to BEAD, which is intended as a long-term investment.

“The first customers get great service, but as more customers ping off the same satellite, they share what, ultimately, becomes a lower quality signal,” she says.

Beranek points out what many have observed: that the reason fiber is the gold standard over alternative technologies, is that we’re supposed to be building long-term, dependable, and scalable infrastructure.

And she prefers FWA as a next-best technology for last mile, as its better suited for transitioning to fiber: “…if obstacles prevent new cable lines, FWA offers a fiber-backed signal converted from a terrestrial to an over-the-air interface for the last mile. Experts have even argued that unlicensed FWA would offer a better alternative to an all-fiber network than satellite because it lays a stepping stone to better service in those regions down the line.”

3. “The ongoing alliance between Musk and President-elect Donald Trump creates a conflict of interest that risks turning Starlink’s near monopoly into a full-blown one.”

- Moriba Jah, professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin

Moriba Jah has strong words about Starlink and what he thinks is the trend towards giving Musk and Starlink monopolistic control over the skies. “We are potentially headed for a taxpayer-subsidized takeover of LEO at the expense of competition, regulatory safeguards, the public interest and science,” he says.

Jah shares the opinion of many others questioning Starlink’s rapidly accelerating and ubiquitous presence in space, mentioning the debris an astronomy research concerns. He also believes that Starlink overpromises on broadband connectivity and affordability. But Jah, being an op-ed writer for American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also believes the situation to be a developing cautionary tale about what happens when one man, backed by executive power, gets a head start in space that could be impossible to catch up to.

“Orbital carrying capacity is finite, and once it is consumed by Starlink, that’s it … two satellites can’t occupy the same orbital space simultaneously. Starlink is in the process of effectively crowding out competitors at the orbital altitude in which it operates,” he says.

“Musk turned off Starlink in the midst of a 2022 Ukrainian military operation against its Russian occupiers. No single person or entity should have so much power.”

4. “…a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones,"

- Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Chair

With T-Mobile and Starlink getting FCC approval to move forward on a partnership to offer direct-to-cell service, it could pave the way for other deals like this, with satellite providing coverage gaps for telcos to be able to tout ubiquitous coverage.

As the FCC points out, it’s an opportunity to provide a public service that enables emergency service and greater access to connectivity, as well as technological advancement and increased competition in the space.

The deal was met with pushback from the industry, however, including from competitors who hope to offer a similar service, and who appear concerned about signal interference.