I have recently read that Elon Musk has purchased a bundle of new frequencies from Echostar or Hughes (can’t remember which). Those companies couldn’t figure out how to compete anymore, now that starlink is out there. So they sold their frequencies to Musk.
With those new frequencies, Musk is now building a new Direct To Cell satellite network. This will be an entirely new network and does not refer to Musk’s current DTC system through T-Mobile. Completely new cell phone chips have to be designed and fabricated. New cell phones have to be made and sold. These new phones should start being available in 2029. That system will be a new major carrier that competes directly with Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.
So at some point, there should be one more potential set of frequencies for the Librem 5 to design-in, for a modem. Musks new system will allow the satellites to transmit at a much higher power, thus overcoming many of the current limitations on today’s DTC systems. My guess is that the phones will transmit at higher power too. Most cell phones usually transmit at less than 100mW most of the time. It is practical for a handheld radio to transmit at 5 to 7 watts from a technical perspective with the right built-in circuitry. It’ll be interesting to see how this works out.