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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a license for T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink to provide additional coverage, and expand internet access in remote areas to eliminate “dead zones.” This marks the first time the FCC has authorized a satellite operator partnering with a wireless carrier to provide additional telecommunications coverage from space in some flexible spectrum bands allocated for terrestrial services.

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

“The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial mobile carriers and satellite operators to deliver on a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel.

T-Mobile said this year that more than 500,000 square miles of U.S. territory are inaccessible to towers due to terrain, land-use restrictions and other factors. Starlink satellites are equipped with direct-to-cell technology to work with T-Mobile’s network to expand coverage even to areas where there are no towers.

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