SpaceX Gets FCC Green Light For Starlink Direct-to-phone Deal With T-Mobile

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The FCC has granted SpaceX permission to go forward with plans to offer a direct-to-phone version of its Starlink satellite internet service, with T-Mobile as its provider and a few provisos in place.

The proposal dates to summer 2022, when SpaceX and T-Mobile first announced that they were pursuing the ability for the mobile provider's customers to get Starlink access on their phones. At the time, they said they expected the service to start in 2023, but here we are at the end of 2024 and it's only just now getting regulatory approval.

Still, it's a coup for Starlink, which will get its foot in the door in the U.S. market before its rivals, including existing direct-to-phone satellite provider Lynk, which is already in orbit but has no U.S. commercial partners. SpaceX will be able to use certain wireless bands, in close partnership with T-Mobile as the terrestrial operator, to allow customers with compatible devices to communicate.

But as the leaders of the companies pointed out at the announcement, it's more than just getting approval and turning on the service. Non-trivial engineering problems must be solved to sync a phone up with a cell ⁘tower⁘ that's actually on a satellite hundreds of miles away and going thousands of miles per hour. But they appear to have figured this part out: The company demonstrated a video call six months ago, and as the FCC notes, direct-to-phone connections were allowed during Hurricanes Helene and Milton to allow disconnected areas better access to emergency services.

As for latency and signal power, every kilometer of altitude matters — and Starlink is up at the 530 km level. Fortunately for SpaceX, the FCC has authorized it to operate any of the remainder of its 7,500 approved satellites at altitudes of 340, 345, 350, and 360 kilometers. Those in the know will have noticed that this is rather close to the lower limit of the International Space Station's orbit (370 kilometers) — and indeed, SpaceX will need to coordinate any deployment below 400 km with NASA.