SpaceX and Amazon are fighting at the FCC over orbital insertion altitudes—a dispute that looks like a safety argument but is equally about spectrum priority and competitive positioning.
Telesat’s decision to dedicate a slice of every Lightspeed satellite to military Ka-band isn’t just a business pivot — it exposes a structural problem facing any LEO operator that lacks a tech giant’s balance sheet or its own launch vehicle.
Turning an ordinary phone into a satellite terminal is the most ambitious promise in orbital connectivity — and the one most constrained by physics.
As constellations multiply, the binding constraints on satellite internet are shifting from rockets and radios to orbital slots, spectrum rights, and collision risk.