Boeing received approval from the United States on Wednesday for a project to launch satellites that will provide internet services from orbit.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in a statement that it had granted Boeing a licence to “build, deploy, and operate a satellite constellation” that will “provide broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental, and professional users in the United States and around the world.”
“Advanced satellite broadband services have a critical role to play in connecting hard-to-reach communities,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
The FCC approved 147 satellites, the most majority of which will be in low orbit: 132 could be deployed at a height of around 600 miles (1,000 km), while 15 would be significantly higher, at a height of between 17,000 and 27,000 miles.
People in the United States will be the first to benefit from the service, followed by clients all over the world.
In a statement, Boeing stated, “Boeing anticipates a multi-orbit future for satellite technologies.”
“As the need for satellite communications develops, diversity across orbital regimes and frequencies will be required to meet distinct customer demands, and we see V-band as contributing to part of that diversity,” Boeing said.
Competing firms are already working on other satellite constellation ideas.
