Global Communication with Next-Generation Satellite Systems
For Public Safety Communications, I believe this represents a significant shift in technology. And I don’t believe the reasons the business pages are reporting about this represent why it is so important.
Historically, since the 1960’s, first responders have relied upon traditional radio systems to provide them with the capability to respond to 911 calls and provide mutual aid on a daily basis. Most first responders have avoided utilizing Radio over IP technologies due to the fact that they rely upon many of the same tower infrastructure and third-party systems that pair consumer and public safety users together.
Who utilizes Radio over IP? Generally speaking, those individuals and groups that LMR cannot reach. For example, an Incident Management Team (IMT) comprised of personnel from multiple jurisdictions, a volunteer group whose members reside in several different states, or a strike team traveling through Texas to assist another jurisdiction whose radios cannot be programmed to utilize the local radio system. These groups communicate among themselves via Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC), while they are organizing, traveling, and staging.
Upon arrival at the incident location, they transition back to conventional land mobile radio (LMR), primarily because cellular towers frequently lose power or become overwhelmed in emergencies. With SpaceX’s recent developments, however, these groups may now be able to continue operating on their primary service and those on LMR, when leaving their primary area can utilize Starlink to bridge that coverage.
Why Push-to-Talk over LTE Fails in a Disaster Area
The Texas example of Hurricane Beryl illustrates why PTToC fails in a disaster area. Following Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Texas on July 8, 2024, the FCC reported that 1,335 cell sites in the six-county area surrounding Houston were out of service as of July 9th; out of a total of over 4,600 cell sites.
Although most of the towers remained intact, only eight sites experienced physical damage. Over 1,100 sites lost commercial power. All remaining operational sites were inundated by calls from residents attempting to contact family members and first responders arriving at the scene.
In addition to losing access to a wide-area talkgroup and associated emergency operation center (EOC) functionality, transitioning to conventional channels requires a monetary investment.
Specifically, a team transitioning from PTToC to conventional channels will lose access to its wide-area talkgroup, thereby losing access to EOC functionality located at its headquarters, other units en route to the scene, and location tracking available through an application.
What SpaceX Received from the FCC and What is Still Pending
On October 6, 2026, the FCC authorized 15,000 new satellites for Starlink Mobile, SpaceX’s satellite-to-phone service.
Additionally, the FCC waived its regulation requiring SpaceX to obtain spectrum from a terrestrial-based carrier prior to being authorized to provide phone service in the United States. Two days later, SpaceX entered into an agreement to acquire Grain Management’s entire nationwide 800 MHz portfolio. Grain Management’s portfolio includes up to 14 MHz of paired low-band spectrum. The FCC has yet to approve this acquisition.
Low-band spectrum is what I am interested in. Low-band spectrum penetrates walls, tree canopy, and apparatus bay roofs. Low-band spectrum has been the Achilles’ heel of satellite-to-phone service, which currently demands line-of-sight to the open sky.
Today’s satellite network is also relatively small (approximately 650 satellites) and provides relatively low bandwidth (4-5 Mbps). SpaceX’s president informed investors that the next-generation service is anticipated to begin providing service at the conclusion of 2027.
FirstNet, Priority, and What Satellite Changes
Congress established FirstNet in 2012 as a direct result of communications failures during the events of September 11th. In 2017, AT&T received a 25-year contract to construct FirstNet. Agencies were informed that FirstNet would provide priority and preemption.
Specifically, when the network becomes congested, a responder’s device will be granted priority over other users. Verizon and T-Mobile subsequently developed Frontline and T-Priority programs, respectively.
This portion of the discussion will be somewhat contentious. I anticipate that satellite-to-phone service will likely diminish the need for prioritization on existing carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile. Priority resolves one issue – too many users on a functional tower.
However, priority on a tower without power is useless. A radio capable of operating on a satellite will have an alternate path for communication. As contracts expire, the question regarding who provides me with priority will cease to exist and will be replaced by questions concerning who maintains my connection when the tower is no longer operational. The Congressional authorization for FirstNet expires on February 22, 2027.
Despite the potential for satellites to reduce the need for prioritization on terrestrial networks, priority will not disappear entirely. A satellite beam is utilized by all users positioned beneath it. No carrier has publicly identified which user receives preference when utilizing a satellite beam.
Budget-Friendly Radios, Trucking Fleets, and LTE Band 26
While many users continue to utilize Motorola & L3 Harris radios for Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) applications, more budget friendly consumer / business grade devices have entered the market. ICOM, Rapid Radios and others provide an alternative for organizing national teams or responding to incidents on a budget-friendly basis.
For example, a pair of Rapid Radios handsets costs approximately $399 per pair and includes one year of LTE service. Unlike Motorola radios, Rapid Radios handsets do not offer a LMR fallback option.
Therefore, Rapid Radios handsets have the most potential for growth in this marketplace. Currently, however, no budget-friendly radio operates on Starlink’s satellite network. This is critical to understand before purchasing based solely on headlines. Currently, Motorola’s APX NEXT is the only PTToC radio verified for operation on Starlink satellites; however, it requires connectivity via T-Mobile’s T-Satellite program.
The 800 MHz spectrum being acquired by SpaceX (817-824 MHz paired with 862-869 MHz) is part of LTE Band 26. If you intend to participate in Starlink’s coverage network, check your hardware specifications immediately to determine if your Radio over IP devices are compatible with Band 26. Some devices are compatible with Band 26; however, many devices wont.
Consequently, devices will require replacement if you wish to participate in Starlink’s coverage network. Assuming that a Band 26 compatible radio is available and that Starlink SIM cards become available and are approved by the FCC for satellite usage in Band 26, it would be possible to connect a Band 26 compatible radio to Starlink’s coverage network through a SIM card exchange. As previously stated, neither exists at present.
Likewise, national trucking and logistics companies that utilize PTToC services will greatly benefit from connecting their PTToC services through satellites. While connecting their PTToC services through satellites represents a significant advancement for these companies, for a carrier with thousands of trucks whose fleet-wide hardware does not support Band 26 will necessitate a fleet-wide hardware replacement.
What to Do Now
If you serve as a Communications Unit Leader (COML), add satellite communications as an individual line item on the ICS 205 (Incident Action Plan) and conduct exercises using satellite communications prior to deploying them during an incident response.
As an IT Director, Radio over IP transforms each radio into a network-enabled device complete with firmware, credentials and cloud-based services for patching and auditing purposes.
If you manage a volunteer organization, inquire with your service provider regarding which carriers utilize SIM cards within their radios and whether their radios support Band 26.
Inquire with your service provider’s public safety representative regarding how to activate satellite service in your county and who will answer the phone at 2:00 A.M.
What Satellite Push-to-Talk Will Not Replace
I am not advocating that anyone discontinue using their LMR P25 system. As Deputy Manager of a P25 trunked system utilized by over 5,000 users from over 100 public safety organizations, I can confidently state that LMR remains the only technology that allows radios to communicate with each other without relying upon any form of consumer interfaced network infrastructure whatsoever. If our towers had power, that site had comms for the users in the area.
Satellite communications provide you with an alternative means of communicating when tower-based communications fail. Satellite communications do not provide you with an alternative means of communicating when third-party network-based communications fail.
Furthermore, I would not recommend relying upon any single commercial provider for primary voice communications regardless of whether it is terrestrial-based or orbiting above earth.
My primary concern lies with the band. The 800 MHz band is comprised of old Sprint 800 MHz licenses and resides adjacent to bands utilized by many public safety trunked systems. Individuals who managed 800 MHz systems during rebanding efforts remember Nextel’s towers interfering with public safety radio transmissions. Currently, SpaceX plans to activate this band from orbit and from rooftop base stations without receiving authorization from the FCC regarding interference conditions placed upon this activation.
