All Things Direct-To-Mobile

[bxr140]

Interesting development on the Qualcom-Idirium collaboration. (It's not anymore). Iridium is clearly playing at the volatile terrestrial spectrum conversations (eg, SpaceX) and how they (like Globalstar) are already sorted with priority MSS spectrum rights ready to go. Apple's obviously shown how they read the tea leaves (and obviously have beaten everyone to market by at least two years and likely more); time will tell if, when, and by how much SpaceX and the others will be successful with D2D on terrestrial frequencies.


Unrelated, it's WRC season. Some meaty space stuff is on the agenda.
1. Should GEOs still have their spectrum protected from NGSOs? IMO the answer is yes. GEOs are well on the decline due to NGSOs, but IMO (as I've described in the past) there's a world where GEO augments an NGSO constellation such that we can all be more responsible in space.
2. As is typical, (re)allocation of bands is a topic; here's a (long) webinar that has some good stuff in it on that and other stuff. (Also cool that the panel is all women)

 

[bxr140]

More good PR for apple on the heels of the Qualcomm back-out.

 

[scaesare]

Looks like SpaceX recv'd authorization for test of a new sat version supporting D2D:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1730772350646526400

 

[JB47394]

Looks like SpaceX recv'd authorization for test of a new sat version supporting D2D:

Isn't that D2C? Direct to cellular? If not, what's D2D?

 

[scaesare]

Isn't that D2C? Direct to cellular? If not, what's D2D?

Ah, saw it abbreviated "Direct to Device" elsewhere...

ON EDIT: and @bxr140 did a couple of posts up...

 

[mongo]

First text sent

https://twitter.com/x/status/1745174665809818030

 

[bxr140]

AST recently got a small pocket full from some big players.

That's certainly nowhere near enough duckets for anything but some R&D runway, but it's a positive development for AST all the same. AST's aspiration is to provide significantly higher level of D2D service than Starlink's aspiration, which is certainly attractive to MNOs. Given how history has played out, it's also more likely AST will get closer to their aspiration than SX will get to theirs; stodgy old companies like ATT like that sort of thing. On the flip side there's no contest when it comes to probability--It's a near certainty SX will fully deploy their D2D constellation whereas AST actually getting to profitable/sustainable production level service is a bit more like hitting the double-zero than not...

This also gives a bit of public insight into how different companies are playing behind the curtains. The real commercial value of D2D service is still very much unknown, and that industry leaders like ATT and Vodaphone are willing to dabble in a startup (AST) but not fully commit to what is basically guaranteed (SX) is quite interesting.

 

[Cosmacelf]

AST recently got a small pocket full from some big players.

That's certainly nowhere near enough duckets for anything but some R&D runway, but it's a positive development for AST all the same. AST's aspiration is to provide significantly higher level of D2D service than Starlink's aspiration, which is certainly attractive to MNOs. Given how history has played out, it's also more likely AST will get closer to their aspiration than SX will get to theirs; stodgy old companies like ATT like that sort of thing. On the flip side there's no contest when it comes to probability--It's a near certainty SX will fully deploy their D2D constellation whereas AST actually getting to profitable/sustainable production level service is a bit more like hitting the double-zero than not...

This also gives a bit of public insight into how different companies are playing behind the curtains. The real commercial value of D2D service is still very much unknown, and that industry leaders like ATT and Vodaphone are willing to dabble in a startup (AST) but not fully commit to what is basically guaranteed (SX) is quite interesting.

The fact that ATT is a Starlink competitor probably factored into the equation too.

 

[bxr140]

The fact that ATT is a Starlink competitor probably factored into the equation too.

Maybe. Its also worth pointing out that ATT already has skin in the AST game.

That said, suspect ATT smart enough to a) know that their fixed internet services are going the wrong way relative to competing with Starlink and b) realize that if mobile services as a revenue center benefits more from the increased feature set enabled by Starlink D2D than the loss from eroding the [presumably very small] revenue center of non-wired, fixed internet, its a Good Deal.

Mind, I don't think ATT has consensus on #2, but the main point is that I don't think they're so married to any particular product line that they'd (more or less) allow that to sabotage a higher revenue product. ATT is different than owner/operator shops like Echo/Hughes and Viasat that are dumping money into fixed internet satellite tech. Those guys want to stuff anything they can in Starlink's spokes.


Adjacent topic but related to this cash dump, a good chunk of it is convertible bonds that ATT/G/Vodaphone picked up at a ~25% discount. ASTS reflects this knock. Bad week to be an existing investor in AST...

 

[scaesare]

Given how history has played out, it's also more likely AST will get closer to their aspiration than SX will get to theirs;..

What history is that? I'm not familiar...

 

[Grendal]

Maybe. Its also worth pointing out that ATT already has skin in the AST game.

The AST satellite seems quite big. Does it unfold into that large shape?

 

[bxr140]

The AST satellite seems quite big. Does it unfold into that large shape?

Yes, it's stowed as basically a cube, with the center section (that's blurred in the photo) at the base and the white user array tiles kind of folded around it.

There are quite a few technical roadblocks to be addressed by AST; as it turns out the mechanical unfolding of the array is actually one of the easier ones...

 

[Grendal]

US finalizes proposed direct-to-smartphone regulatory framework

U.S. regulators will vote March 14 on a regulatory framework for allowing satellites to use radio waves from terrestrial mobile operators to keep their smartphone users connected beyond the reach of cell towers.

spacenews.com

 

[EVCollies]

US finalizes proposed direct-to-smartphone regulatory framework

U.S. regulators will vote March 14 on a regulatory framework for allowing satellites to use radio waves from terrestrial mobile operators to keep their smartphone users connected beyond the reach of cell towers.

spacenews.com

Perfect day to expand the uses of pi.

18 Ways NASA Uses Pi​

 

[mongo]

Posting to X from a wooded path

https://twitter.com/x/status/1761998954944921955

 

[scaesare]

Posting to X from a wooded path

https://twitter.com/x/status/1761998954944921955

And wow:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1762012677961118063

 

[mongo]

17 MBit to Samsung phone

https://twitter.com/x/status/1764032892663906313