FCC Backs SpaceX’s Direct-to-Cell Service at Higher Power Levels
With one condition: SpaceX must mitigate spectrum interference issues with terrestrial providers
Jericho Casper
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX's request to operate its direct-to-cell Starlink-T-Mobile satellite service at higher power levels.
That’s despite the strong objections of AT&T, Verizon, and EchoStar, who found that the decision could degrade terrestrial mobile network performance. AT&T had submitted an analysis predicting an 18% drop in throughput in areas affected by SpaceX’s emissions.
The FCC granted the conditional waiver March 7, with one condition: SpaceX must mitigate any interference issues or risk losing the waiver entirely.
The decision allows Starlink’s direct-to-device service to operate with a power flux density of up to -110.6 dBW/m²/MHz, a notable increase from the -120 dBW/m²/MHz limit established by the FCC last year.
The FCC had previously denied SpaceX's request for higher power levels, when it allowed SpaceX-T-Mobile to begin operating direct-to-cell service, back in November 2024.
In its ruling, signed by the FCC’s newly appointed Chief of Space Bureau Jay Schwarz, who took office on Feb. 4, the FCC said: it found “good cause to grant SpaceX’s waiver request... subject to conditions that will protect terrestrial wireless carrier operations.”
“SpaceX explained that as it approaches a satellite deployment point of about 1,500 satellites, it will need to take compensatory measures to comply with section 25.202(k), including reducing the number of active beams on a satellite, reducing the power of those beams, or a combination of the two, and estimated that the power suppression methodology could result in a 20% network throughput reduction.”
“SpaceX has provided engineering analyses in support of its claim that harmful interference in adjacent bands is unlikely. Further, T-Mobile, an adjacent band terrestrial operator, endorses the waiver and presents its own technical analyses in which it concludes that the waiver poses a low likelihood of harmful interference.”
“SCS service is at a nascent stage of development, and we find that strict application of the rule risks hindering the widespread deployment of this particular SCS network. Based on the record before us, we grant the waiver subject to a condition that SpaceX’ address any harmful interference, if it occurs.”
The waiver only applies to a 5 MegaHertz (MHz) segment adjacent to the PCS G Block (1985-1990 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz), minimizing the impact on other spectrum users.
