FCC authorizes 15,000 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile network

The US Federal Communications Commission authorized SpaceX’s proposed 15,000-satellite Starlink Mobile constellation on 6 October. Order DA 26-1078 permits deployment and operation of the system; it does not establish that those spacecraft are already in orbit.

The order authorizes mobile-satellite services and supplemental coverage from space in the United States, plus mobile-satellite and direct-to-cell operations outside the country. The latter connect satellites directly to mobile devices. Via Satellite reports that the system is separate from Starlink’s broadband constellation.

EchoStar announced the underlying spectrum-sale agreement with SpaceX in September 2025, including future Starlink access for Boost Mobile customers. The new constellation order is a regulatory step for that network, rather than a newly announced spectrum purchase.

The order conditions operation in the acquired EchoStar bands on a second transaction step transferring licences from a trust to SpaceX. Via Satellite reports that this step is expected around 30 November 2027. The order allows earlier launch and orbit-raising activity, including payload testing, with EchoStar and the trust’s consent.

The FCC deferred decisions on the US 2020–2025 MHz band and on the requested 20.2–21.2 GHz and 30.0–31.0 GHz operations. Those requests remain outside the granted authority. The authorization does not establish worldwide retail availability.