Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellite service receives FCC approval

The Federal Communications Commission has granted SpaceX permission to use its Starlink broadband satellites to offer direct phone service to T-Mobile customers. The T-Mobile license is the first collaboration between a satellite operator and a wireless carrier approved by the FCC to provide additional cellular coverage from space.

“The Commission has recognized that satellite-to-device connectivity can provide critical public interest benefits, including widespread connectivity, access to emergency service from remote areas, technological advancements, and innovative spectrum use,” the FCC said in the filing.

The announcement came after SpaceX and T-Mobile received temporary approval in October to provide Starlink satellite service in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. The partnership between the two companies was announced in 2022 with the goal of eliminating cell phone dead zones across the United States. Verizon and AT&T have since entered into similar agreements with satellite partner AST SpaceMobile.

However, there are some conditions for official approval from the FCC. The agency has yet to decide whether SpaceX can increase the radio emission power of its satellites to support features such as real-time voice and video calls. AT&T and Verizon have previously expressed concerns that SpaceX’s circumvention of current power flux density limits could impact their existing networks.

“The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial wireless carriers and satellite operators to create a single network in the future that will end wireless dead zones,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Reuters Report.

The commission is also postponing the question of whether SpaceX will be allowed to launch an additional 22,488 Starlink satellites after approving a constellation of 7,518 for launch in 2018. SpaceX and T-Mobile’s first satellites with direct-to-cell support were launched in January, but the full constellation has not yet been deployed – SpaceX said it “may be testing basic SMS capabilities” when it last said Month received a temporary release and support for voice and data is not expected to arrive until 2025.