In a regulatory win, SpaceX has secured approval to launch and operate 15,000 next-gen satellites for Starlink Mobile, the company’s service to deliver satellite connectivity to phones.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission cleared the company’s request for the 15,000 satellite constellation after SpaceX originally filed the application back in Sept. 2025. In addition, the FCC issued a waiver so that SpaceX can offer wireless services through satellites without entering into a leasing agreement with a ground-based mobile operator.
The approval seems to create a regulatory path for SpaceX to turn Starlink Mobile into a competitor to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, something that SpaceX executives have already been teasing. Currently, “version 1” of Starlink Mobile is exclusively available in the US through T-Mobile as T-Satellite —but it only uses around 650 satellites with data speeds estimated at 4Mbps.
In contrast, the upcoming 15,000 satellite constellation promises to deliver 5G speeds at 150Mbps per user, according to the company. Rather than using traditional cell towers, SpaceX envisions harnessing both satellites and smaller, cost effective ground-based femtocells to offer cellular coverage for phones, including in suburban areas and cities. That said, some in the telecom industry, including T-Mobile’s CFO, have been dismissive of the approach.
(Starlink)
Even so, the FCC went out of its way to say: “With this action, SpaceX’s planned deployments will reshape spectrum-based connectivity by improving competition, allowing more consumers more choices in more places to further the Commission’s goal to ‘connect everyone, everywhere to modern communications services.’” The FCC also supported the application’s waiver requests, noting the planned constellation promises to not only serve users in cellular dead zones, but also bring “increased competition in the provision of retail wireless services to American consumers.”
The FCC’s grant allows SpaceX to orbit the satellites from 335 kilometers to as low as 326 km (202 miles) from Earth — which appears to be a new low compared to the first-gen cellular-focused Starlink satellites. The lower orbit will likely help reduce latency.
(FCC)
To offer the 5G-like connectivity, the FCC authorization also lets the satellites use even more radio spectrum that SpaceX is acquiring from Boost Mobile’s parent EchoStar. This includes the 1695 to 1710, 2000 to 2020, 2180 to 2200, 1915 to 1920, and 1995 to 2000MHz bands in the US for the cellular connectivity. The company has also been cleared to use the satellites for cellular operations outside the US.
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That said, the FCC’s order says the company can only test using the EchoStar radio frequencies “until Step Two of the SpaceX-EchoStar transaction is consummated,” or when the deal is finally closed, which is scheduled for November 30th, 2027. By that time, the company projects to have begun launching the first “version 2” satellites for Starlink Mobile.
Another notable part is how the FCC’s grant lets the same 15,000 satellites use T-Mobile’s “PCS G-block” spectrum in the 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz bands, which SpaceX has already been tapping for the current version of Starlink Mobile in the US. This comes even though T-Mobile has been downplaying T-Satelite and floating the possibility of partnering with other satellite providers. Whether T-Mobile will continue to use Starlink Mobile remains a big question.
The Commission seems to have mainly cleared SpaceX’s proposal, despite opposition from rival satellite communication providers and environmental groups concerned about radio interference and light pollution. However, the FCC notes it deferred on other parts of SpaceX’s application, such as the company’s request to use the 2020 to 2025 MHz band, and another request to the use the 1429 to 2690 MHz range outside the US.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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