FCC approves SpaceX’s 15,000-satellite Starlink Mobile constellation promising 150Mbps to phones

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceX’s application to launch and operate 15,000 next-generation satellites for Starlink Mobile. The regulator granted the request on 6 October, about a year after SpaceX filed it in September 2025.

The FCC also issued a waiver that allows SpaceX to provide wireless service through its satellites without a spectrum leasing agreement with a terrestrial mobile operator. Together, the approval and the waiver open a regulatory path for SpaceX to compete directly with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, a move SpaceX executives have already hinted at.

SpaceX says the new constellation will deliver 5G speeds of up to 150Mbps per user. The current version of Starlink Mobile runs on about 650 satellites and is available in the US only through T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, with data speeds estimated at around 4Mbps.

The FCC said SpaceX’s plans would widen consumer choice and bring “increased competition in the provision of retail wireless services” to Americans, in addition to covering cellular dead zones. Under the grant, the satellites can orbit between 326km and 335km above Earth. Lower orbits generally reduce latency for users on the ground.

The authorization covers frequencies SpaceX is buying from EchoStar, the parent company of Boost Mobile, in the 1695 to 1710MHz, 1915 to 1920MHz, 1995 to 2000MHz, 2000 to 2020MHz and 2180 to 2200MHz bands in the US. The satellites can also use T-Mobile’s PCS G-block spectrum at 1910 to 1915MHz and 1990 to 1995MHz, which powers the current Starlink Mobile service, and the FCC has cleared them for cellular operations outside the US.

SpaceX can only test on the EchoStar frequencies until the second stage of its EchoStar acquisition closes, which is scheduled for 30 November 2027. SpaceX agreed in September 2025 to buy the spectrum for about $17 billion, and the FCC approved the transfer in May with a $2.4 billion escrow condition. The company expects to have started launching its first second-generation Starlink Mobile satellites by the time the deal closes.

SpaceX plans to pair the satellites with low-cost femtocells on the ground to extend coverage into suburbs and cities, rather than relying on traditional cell towers. Some telecom executives, including T-Mobile’s chief financial officer, have dismissed the approach. T-Mobile has also played down T-Satellite and raised the possibility of working with other satellite providers.

The FCC approved most of the application despite objections from rival satellite operators and environmental groups, who raised concerns about radio interference and light pollution. It deferred a decision on SpaceX’s requests to use the 2020 to 2025MHz band in the US and the 1429 to 2690MHz range outside the US.