The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reportedly voted on October 29, 2026, to advance a rulemaking that could make an additional 482 MHz available for satellite-to-device service. Teslarati reported the vote. It advanced a proposal, not an award of those frequencies to SpaceX. The FCC’s October 8 draft describes the proposed changes to Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS), a framework for satellite services using terrestrial wireless spectrum. Read the FCC fact sheet.
Starlink Mobile is one service the proposal could affect, but the proposed SCS rules apply more broadly. The FCC separately authorized SpaceX’s plan for 15,000 next-generation direct-to-cell satellites, according to Teslarati. NeoTeo covered the earlier FCC authorization for SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile system.
What the FCC proposal covers
The draft would expand the number of bands eligible for SCS from five to thirteen, adding 482 MHz. That is a proposed change to the rules for satellite service using licensed terrestrial spectrum; it does not itself assign the frequencies to Starlink.
The draft also includes a separate proposal to auction 25 MHz across two ranges: 1675–1695 MHz and 2020–2025 MHz. The contemplated licenses could support terrestrial mobile service, direct-to-device service, or a hybrid. The auction item is distinct from the proposed SCS expansion.
| Spectrum matter | Amount and bands | What it concerns |
| Proposed SCS expansion | 482 MHz additional; eligible bands would rise from five to thirteen | Broader eligibility for satellite coverage using terrestrial wireless spectrum |
| Separate proposed auction | 25 MHz across 1675–1695 MHz and 2020–2025 MHz | Spectrum proposed for terrestrial, direct-to-device, or hybrid service |
| Earlier Tristar transfer | 15 MHz at 1695–1710 MHz | Three AWS-3 licenses transferred separately from Tristar to SpaceX for satellite use |
How the draft would change licensing and coordination
The FCC draft proposes custom-sized SCS license areas that match the geography an operator intends to serve. It also proposes allowing an operator to qualify by securing coexistence agreements covering terrestrial licenses in its proposed service area, or by holding the relevant terrestrial licenses itself. These terms would change how satellite and terrestrial operators coordinate spectrum use if adopted.
What the earlier Tristar licenses cover
The 15 MHz AWS-3 transfer is a separate, earlier action, not part of the proposed 482 MHz expansion. DPL News reported that the licenses cover 62 counties across eight states, about 4% of the U.S. population, and that the FCC waived traditional tower-construction requirements for satellite use. NeoTeo also covered the earlier transfer of three AWS-3 licenses.
Bandwidth figures alone do not specify a phone’s data speed: the 15 MHz transfer is not a 200 Mbps performance figure. The FCC proposal addresses spectrum eligibility and coordination, not measured indoor reception. Even if adopted, the proposed rules would not by themselves guarantee that a satellite connection works inside a building.
What carriers and SpaceX asked for
Teslarati reported that CTIA, representing AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, asked the FCC to remove the 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz bands from the proposal. Those bands account for 290 MHz of the 482 MHz under consideration, according to the report. T-Mobile argued that satellite interference could affect up to 96% of a cell site’s uplink coverage area; that is the carrier’s position, not an FCC finding. Teslarati also reported that SpaceX asked to add the 902–928 MHz band.
Separately, Teslarati attributed an early-2028 target for Starlink Mobile service using SpaceX’s own airwaves to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell.
