FCC Approves SpaceX 15,000-Satellite Constellation for Direct 5G

The Federal Communications Commission approved a request from SpaceX to launch and operate a constellation of 15,000 next-generation satellites for Starlink Mobile. This Direct-To-Device service will provide 5G speeds of up to 150Mbps per user to unmodified consumer smartphones, positioning SpaceX as a direct competitor to traditional wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

To reduce signal latency and path loss, the satellites will operate in Very Low Earth Orbit between 326 and 335 kilometers. While this architecture improves performance, it increases atmospheric drag and satellite burn rates, necessitating continuous electric propulsion and a high annual launch cadence for replacements. The network utilizes Gen3 AI satellite architecture featuring Nvidia hardware.

The FCC granted a regulatory waiver allowing SpaceX to offer these wireless services without leasing agreements from ground-based operators. The project leverages radio spectrum acquired from EchoStar Corporation and T-Mobile's PCS G-block spectrum. While the commission deferred requests for certain frequency bands and imposed limitations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Chairman Brendan Carr stated the decision would help supercharge competition.

Beyond the immediate constellation, SpaceX announced long-term plans to eventually operate up to 100,000 Starlink satellites and 1 million Starmind AI satellites. Vice President Michael Nicolls noted that these AI satellites must operate in tight clusters to provide the coherent compute necessary to run AI models efficiently.