US okays higher-power cellphone service for Musk’s Starlink despite objections

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Friday said it would allow Starlink, a unit of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to operate a direct-to-cell service with T-Mobile at higher power levels despite objections by rival companies.

AT&T and Verizon had filed objections to the higher power levels saying it could result in harmful interference and impact their service in some areas. The FCC said it was approving the waiver for higher power levels “subject to conditions that will protect terrestrial wireless carrier operations.”

Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, contributed millions of dollars to President Donald Trump’s campaign and is overseeing Trump’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the decision enables “faster, more reliable and innovative new services for consumers across the country.”

The FCC said it is requiring Starlink to “address any harmful interference, if it occurs.”

In November, the FCC approved a license for Starlink and T-Mobile to provide supplemental coverage from space in a bid to extend internet access to remote areas and eliminate “dead zones.”

T-Mobile Starlink’s service said last month it was in public beta testing using specifically configured satellites with Direct-to-Cell capabilities to deliver cell phone signals to and from locations traditional cell towers cannot reach.

T-Mobile noted 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square km) of the U.S. are unreachable by towers because of the terrain, land-use restrictions and other factors.

T-Mobile Starlink also broadcasts Wireless Emergency Alerts nationwide to anyone in range of the signal and with a compatible device.

The November decision marked the first time the FCC has authorized a satellite operator collaborating with a wireless carrier to provide supplemental telecommunications coverage from space on some flexible-use spectrum bands allocated to terrestrial service.

T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a partnership in 2022 and in January 2024 the first set of satellites supporting the partnership was launched into low-Earth orbit with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

In March 2024, the FCC established a new regulatory framework for supplemental coverage from space to extend the reach of wireless networks to remote areas while preserving high service quality in 4G and 5G networks and preventing harmful interference.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)