Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
SpaceX is buying 50 MHz bandwidth from Echostar means they go from leasing and partnering with T-mobile for one lane of bandwidth for upload and one for download for direct to cellphone to six lanes each way or 10 lanes for download and 2 for upload. They own ten of the 12 lanes outright. In March 2025 let them increase power by 8.5 times which is like allowing them to have many times the traffic going each way. The Version 3 satellites will be five times bigger and have thousands of beams and they will move close to the earth for far better signal and again more bandwidth. Having 40,000 satellites only 300 kilometers from earth instead of 60 at 600-900 kilometers will give SpaceX dominating super 5G coverage everywhere for everyone on the planet. SpaceX can offer direct to cell services without partners on the new bandwidth that they own.
SpaceX themselves said the throughput (comm speed) will go up 20 times and the capacity (how many users) will go up 100 times. SpaceX will own most of global communications and full 5G everywhere.
SpaceX wants Apple to cooperate instead of pursuing the C-3 constellation because the H-block and AWS-4 spectrum, that SpaceX is now acquiring from EchoStar, is not supported by any current phones. EchoStar’s Band 66 and Band 70 used different frequency pairings. Support from device manufacturers will be needed to get the new capabilities enabled by this spectrum into consumers’ hands in the near term. Of course if Apple doesn’t come around, then there’s always the possibility that SpaceX will announce a Starlink phone.
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This channel brings you the most important science and technology breakthroughs and analysis at least once per week.
SpaceX is buying 50 MHz bandwidth from Echostar means they go from leasing and partnering with T-mobile for one lane of bandwidth for upload and one for download for direct to cellphone to six lanes each way or 10 lanes for download and 2 for upload. They own ten of the 12 lanes outright. In March 2025 let them increase power by 8.5 times which is like allowing them to have many times the traffic going each way. The Version 3 satellites will be five times bigger and have thousands of beams and they will move close to the earth for far better signal and again more bandwidth. Having 40,000 satellites only 300 kilometers from earth instead of 60 at 600-900 kilometers will give SpaceX dominating super 5G coverage everywhere for everyone on the planet. SpaceX can offer direct to cell services without partners on the new bandwidth that they own.
SpaceX themselves said the throughput (comm speed) will go up 20 times and the capacity (how many users) will go up 100 times. SpaceX will own most of global communications and full 5G everywhere.
SpaceX wants Apple to cooperate instead of pursuing the C-3 constellation because the H-block and AWS-4 spectrum, that SpaceX is now acquiring from EchoStar, is not supported by any current phones. EchoStar’s Band 66 and Band 70 used different frequency pairings. Support from device manufacturers will be needed to get the new capabilities enabled by this spectrum into consumers’ hands in the near term. Of course if Apple doesn’t come around, then there’s always the possibility that SpaceX will announce a Starlink phone.
Follow Brian Wang on NextBigFuture.com
Follow Brian Wang on X.com/@NextBigFuture
This channel brings you the most important science and technology breakthroughs and analysis at least once per week.
