FCC Gives Conditional Approval for Starlink D2D Service

The US Federal Communications Commission permitted SpaceX to provide satellite coverage directly to mobile devices through its Starlink operation. The service will be used in areas that lack traditional connectivity.

Starlink, which has a deal to provide the service to T-Mobile US initially, is permitted to use its second-generation satellites to provide coverage in rural and remote areas of the country. In its report, the FCC noted partial approval of the company’s proposal strikes the right balance between allowing SpaceX’s operations at lower altitudes to provide low-latency satellite service and permitting the Commission to continue to monitor SpaceX’s constellation and evaluate issues.

On social media, T-Mobile president of technology Ulf Ewaldsson welcomed the decision, reiterating its partnership with the satellite player was an effort to eliminate dead zones with an ambition to provide connectivity for customers no matter where they live. The pair were granted temporary permission to use the trial service earlier this year as part of hurricane response efforts.

Although clearing the company to provide supplementary mobile coverage, the regulator delayed decisions on several parts of SpaceX’s wider application, including a request related to power output. The FCC’s order also continues to defer SpaceX’s request to deploy additional Gen2 Starlink satellites beyond the total 7,500 satellites previously authorized. The body added this constitutes the remaining 22,488 satellites, including all satellites proposed to operate in the 340km, 345km, 350km, and 360km orbital shells beyond those already cleared.