Peter Rysavy

Wireless technology expert & president of Rysavy Research LLC.

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Yet another report, this one from Strand Consult, explains why Starlink cannot match the performance of terrestrial mobile broadband networks for direct-to-device service, either today or in the foreseeable future. I’m a fan of the Starlink service and have happily used it on planes and ships. However, satellite service, while great for sparsely populated and remote areas, faces fundamental limitations from laws of physics. The biggest limitation is the high signal path loss, which results in poor indoor coverage, limits the use of higher frequencies that enable the enormous capacity of 5G/6G, and reduces spectral efficiency. Another limitation is lower frequency reuse than in dense terrestrial networks. These limitations translate to much lower data capacity per square kilometer than cellular networks in denser population areas. Certainly, Starlink will expand connectivity use cases and provide valuable service to many customers, but it will complement, not replace terrestrial mobile networks.

https://t.co/HUU3qXEbrH

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

I look forward to this Georgetown Little Nuggets discussion with Kurt Schaubach, chief technology officer at @CTIA. Planned topics include the status of new spectrum bands under study for full-power commercial use, AI integration into wireless networks, satellite direct-to-device services, preparations for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, and advances in consumer devices.

Noon ET, Wednesday, October 21. Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy (@GeorgetownCBPP).

Registration: https://t.co/QtlhX88kBf

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Fully agree with this analysis.

[Light Reading @Light_Reading]

Starlink Mobile's 800MHz acquisition won't much help Elon Musk's satellite service and his terrestrial challenges are still immense.

Read more on Light Reading: https://t.co/cGVihUc19Q

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Users expect a consistent broadband experience wherever they are, making it crucial that cellular and Wi-Fi networks have comparable amounts of mid-band spectrum. Currently, though, the United States has allocated more than twice as much spectrum for unlicensed operation as for licensed operation, even including the forthcoming spectrum auction of 160 MHz in upper C-Band. For example, Wi-Fi in the United States already has the entire 6 GHz band, whereas much of the rest of the world is planning to make some or all of this band available for 6G, along with much of the 7 GHz band.

Looking ahead, Wi-Fi proponents (and cable companies threatened by fixed wireless access) are pushing to extend unlicensed spectrum into 7.125–7.25 GHz. However, with 7400–8400 MHz already excluded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the rest of the world planning to use both 6 and 7 GHz for 6G, the entire 7.125–7.4 GHz band, in conjunction with 4.4 GHz, is crucial for the United States to be competitive with 6G.

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Just as wireless networks are exploiting ever-higher frequencies to boost capacity and performance, it’s interesting to see cable companies doing the same with their coax networks, potentially allowing them to delay costly moves to fiber. By operating up to 3 GHz, compared with the current 1.8 GHz used in DOCSIS 4.0, throughputs could increase from a maximum of 14 Gbps to 25 Gbps.

https://t.co/2cQmY4thGd

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

@CTIA has a compelling new report on the importance of the 4.4–4.94 GHz band for 6G. It is consistent with my recent report on the same topic. Additionally, it explains how making much of this band available for high-power cellular will help the United States to counter China, which has made the entire 6 GHz band available for cellular, whereas the United States has dedicated the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi.

https://t.co/5yV0VJhWT9

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

I recommend this Georgetown Little Nuggets discussion with Anthony Wanger, Executive Chairman of DG Matrix and Founder and CEO of Regnaw Capital, LLC. Topics will include digital infrastructure, the hyperscale ecosystem, the evolving relationship between cloud and telecom, and AI’s impact on data centers. Noon ET, Wednesday, September 23. Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy (@GeorgetownCBPP).

Registration: https://t.co/uzmU2qyKtz

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Good summary from @rcrwirelessnews of Qualcomm's vision for AI-native 6G providing a "continuum of compute" from the network edge to the data center.

https://t.co/EyZirs6sD5

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

SpaceX will soon have competition in the direct-to-device business, as AST SpaceMobile plans initial beta service this year. Although AST SpaceMobile will have fewer satellites, its much larger antennas will enable higher downlink data throughput to user devices, approaching 100 Mbps.

https://t.co/Y44cyXNTEJ

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

I agree with the architectural approach in 6G of a programmable, shared computing platform that supports both AI-native RAN and AI workloads. The RAN is already migrating to a virtualized model, and this approach will provide the greatest flexibility for deploying new AI capabilities. Cellular networks are likely to become the most distributed AI platforms on the planet.

https://t.co/dCfCq4WIx9

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

The development of a drone detection service for Verizon's 5G network is a good indicator that the planned integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) capability for 6G will have valuable use cases, expanding the range of applications for cellular networks. See @Light_Reading:
https://t.co/PMu3wxMhBd

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Another big reason Starlink D2D cannot compete directly with terrestrial networks in denser population areas is that its spectral efficiency is only about one tenth of modern 5G networks. This is in addition to having far less spectrum than cellular operators and each satellite serving much greater areas than 5G base stations. This IEEE Communications Magazine article calculates Starlink D2D spectral efficiency at about 0.5 bps/Hz, which is less than one tenth of the spectral efficiency achieved by 5G networks using typical massive MIMO 64T64R configurations.

https://t.co/EsK7LuRW0y

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Ofcom, the UK regulator, is proceeding with a scheme in which the 6 GHz band will be shared by both Wi-Fi and mobile networks, unlike the United States where the entire 6 GHz band has been dedicated to Wi-Fi. This approach recognizes the importance of this band for both technologies.

https://t.co/vdSyqr3GFo

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

Most current version of the report can always be found on my web site at:

https://t.co/yeWzwtu2gR

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

I have just published a report explaining why the 4.4 GHz band, rather than the 7 GHz band, is the practical, lower-risk, nearer-term band for increased 5G/6G capacity in the United States.

https://t.co/suxauaDCGo

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

@HakujinLLC True, but they didn’t have the laws of physics on their side.

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

The view that satellite direct-to-device is a big threat to commercial terrestrial networks is simply wrong for multiple reasons, including that terrestrial networks have far more cell sites than there are satellites, far more spectrum, and in-building penetration that is unavailable to satellites. Thus I agree with the Wireless Infrastructure Association and the recent studies they commissioned.

https://t.co/XIqdfqrwtS

[Peter Rysavy @peter_rysavy]

This recent Ookla report concludes that current 5G networks fall short of anticipated AI application requirements, particularly with latency and uplink throughput. My view is that it is too early to quantify AI application requirements, given the breadth of possible AI usage scenarios. In addition, operators have plenty of options available for addressing any future shortcomings, such as reducing latency by bringing applications closer to the edge and reconfiguring TDD downlink/uplink ratios.

https://t.co/L0LhMRPmDc