The Georgian National Communications Commission authorized SpaceX's Starlink to provide broadband service there starting July 8, the company said Thursday.

A ViaSat-3 payload module was delivered to Boeing's El Segundo, California, facility for integration into a Boeing spacecraft bus platform in preparation for launch, Viasat said Wednesday. The second ViaSat-3 satellite will provide broadband service over Europe, the Middle East and Africa starting in 2023, it said. Another Ka-band ViaSat-3 is undergoing final integration and testing; its focus will be on the Asia Pacific region. The inaugural ViaSat-3 satellite is expected to be launched in late summer (see 2202030070).

Red flags being raised about the updated orbital debris plan of Amazon's Kuiper satellite system (see 2206280010) are an attempt to hold Amazon to standards not backed by FCC rules, or otherwise raise issues better addressed in a different proceeding, Amazon told the International Bureau Tuesday. It said its modification application meets agency standards for collision risk avoidance and exceeds requirements on atmospheric re-entry. Amazon said it supports orbital separations for large constellations, but that's not required in all circumstances and shouldn't be a condition without consideration of the risk factors involved.

Virgin Atlantic will use Viasat in-flight connectivity service for its 16 new Airbus A330-900 jets, Viasat said Tuesday. It said the 16 are scheduled to start being used for U.S./U.K. intercontinental flights later this year.

Ericsson, Qualcomm and Thales will join on testing and validation of satellite-delivered 5G networks, Qualcomm said Monday. The testing goal will be validation of technology components needed to enable 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN), including a 5G smartphone, satellite payload and 5G network pieces on the ground, it said. Ericsson plans to verify a 5G virtual radio access network stack modified to handle radio signals propagating via low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, it said. Thales said it plans to verify a 5G radio satellite payload suitable for deployment on LEO satellites. Qualcomm said it will test phones verifying that 5G NTN can be accessed by future 5G smartphones.

The House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee has taken up the idea of an "outernet" space-based internet network, the SmallSat Alliance said Monday, citing a committee report last month that endorsed using commercial space networks "to create an 'outernet' for future military communications," with the Space Force charged with promoting interoperability standards. "The entire world will benefit from the added capability and security that is provided by truly ubiquitous global space communications.," the Alliance said.

Kepler told the FCC its proposed mobile satellite service (MSS) system has been licensed to operate by Germany and it holds the necessary ITU filings to operate, thus meeting the threshold for non-U.S.-licensed non-geostationary orbit systems seeking to serve the U.S. Kepler urged the agency Friday to put its MSS application on public notice.

Most criticisms of the pending modification of Ob3b's market access grant, which would add 70 satellites to its 20-satellite medium earth orbit system, or calls for additional conditions (see 2206220020) are baseless and unsupported, the company told the FCC International Bureau last week. It again said the agency should defer action on its proposed inter-satellite links in the 19.4-19.6 GHz frequencies used by Iridium pending more discussions between the companies. It termed as a misrepresentation of FCC precedent the argument that the application means the Ob3b system in its entirety should be considered newly filed as part of the 2020 non-geostationary orbit processing round.

Viasat's argument that unadjudicated interference claims aren't a basis for challenging a transfer of control (see 2206280053) ignores that the FCC has long made a distinction between levels of proof needed for a challenge when it falls outside agency purview vs. conduct involving FCC rules violations, SpaceX said Friday (docket 22-153). SpaceX said it's not seeking conditions to fix a dispute unrelated to the transaction but is arguing that Viasat is committing ongoing and willful license violations and thus lacks the character qualifications needed to justify it taking control of Inmarsat. Viasat didn't comment Friday.

Amazon's proposal that the FCC approve a slice of SpaceX's second-generation constellation (see 2206270001) "would needlessly harm consumers here and abroad and significantly strain Commission resources with no offsetting benefit," SpaceX told the International Bureau Wednesday. Such a piecemeal approach would undermine Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's goal of speeding application processing of satellite applications because SpaceX would have to go back to the agency nearly 20 times, potentially delaying reviews of other operators' applications, it said.