Hughes Casts Doubt on SpaceX Latency Claims

Hughes joined Viasat in questioning SpaceX latency (see 2009180013). In a coming FCC International Bureau filing, Hughes said the claimed ping times of 18 and 19 milliseconds were based on a very lightly loaded network and it's "unlikely that SpaceX can meet its alleged 100/20 Mbps speeds at a mass market capability." It said the FCC should look at SpaceX claims as part of the company's pending application to operate at lower orbit (see 2004200003). SpaceX, in a meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai recapped in an ex parte filing Monday, said its lower orbit application "is a crucial component" to tackling the digital divide and providing polar region coverage. It also argued against a 12.2-12.7 GHz rulemaking, and said MVDDS purchasers of the spectrum knew they had to protect low earth orbit satellite operations in the band.