After months of waiting, SpaceX has finally received an FCC license to operate its new “V4” Starlink dish and the upcoming “mini” dish model on moving cars, ships, and planes. The FCC initially issued SpaceX a license to operate the next-generation dishes in September, but only for fixed positions. Last week, the US regulator then granted SpaceX the additional authority to operate the new dishes onboard aircrafts, vessels, and mounted vehicles.This came after Dish Network initially urged the FCC to deny SpaceX’s license for the “in motion” use, citing concerns about the technology generating radio interference. In response, Elon Musk’s company alleged that Dish was “resurrecting failed arguments in an effort to block its successful competitor” after the FCC approved SpaceX’s first license to use the Starlink dishes on moving vehicles back in 2022. The new license clears the way for SpaceX to expand sales of the next-generation Starlink equipment in the US to more use cases. The V4 dish has already replaced the older Starlink dish for residential users. Meanwhile, the mini Starlink dish is slated to arrive later this year, according to company CEO Elon Musk Although SpaceX has yet to say when the mini Starlink dish will arrive, it’s possible the company has been waiting for the FCC “in motion” license before launching the product. The smaller dish is meant to be a portable way for consumers to receive satellite internet access, no matter the location.
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In the meantime, SpaceX has already been signing deals to install existing Starlink dish equipment on board commercial planes and cruise ships. Last week, the company announced it had installed Starlink on over 200 cruise ships across the globe.SpaceX has also been offering Starlink in-motion use for cars, such as RVs. But it requires the user to own the flat high-performance dish. Otherwise, the “in-motion use of Mobile Data is limited to less than 10mph,” according to the company’s FAQ.
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