This is what BioWare thinks will settle concerns? Everything here makes the ideas seem worse as a solo player. Timegating mods for months is, in fact, preventing me from modifying my gear. If you then unlock mods for raiders earlier than everyone else, you are, in fact, preventing anyone but raiders from modifying their gear.
You do understand that these portions are directly at odds with your stated "philosophy", yes? I will not be able to modify my gear until an unspecified date to which you won't even commit, and taking away the advantage of gear in any capacity in solo content defeats the entire purpose of pursuing gear in any form as a solo player. If all gear levels over 318 are irrelevant, and mods are going to be locked behind months of waiting, your stated philosophy fails outright.
As a solo player, not only will I not be able to change the stats on my gear, but any item level advantage I may have had to compensate for how terribly optimized the gear is on the PTS will be scaled down. So I will ask now for the third time:
What do I, as a solo player, have to "look forward to that makes [my] characters stronger" after hitting item level 326?