- The FCC granted Starlink Mobile the right to operate internationally
- This opens the door to a roaming service for US customers and a Starlink Mobile service in other countries
- The company already has partnerships abroad, and earlier reports suggested Starlink Mobile plans to launch a competitor to conventional carriers
Starlink Mobile is still barely off the ground in the US, with its service mainly offered through the dead zone-filling T-Satellite service in partnership with T-Mobile. But we do know that the brand has bigger mobile ambitions – and it now appears that they are not limited to the US.
After reports that SpaceX planned to build a Starlink-branded mobile network in the United States, the company – as seen by NotebookCheck – has now received approval from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to provide international telecommunications services.
This, at a minimum, could allow Starlink Mobile to offer these dead zone-filling capabilities to US customers when roaming abroad, but it also opens the door for Starlink Mobile services to be offered directly to residents of other countries, rather than only being available through partnerships with other networks.
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And we know Starlink plans to ramp up its mobile service, with 5G-level capabilities and download speeds of up to 150Mbps, all beamed from satellites in space.
Those capabilities, coupled with its existing ability to provide coverage where conventional mobile networks struggle, could make it either a huge boon to carriers it partners with or a significant rival if SpaceX sets up a standalone alternative to T-Mobile and Verizon.
Starlink mobile services are already being rolled out in many countries
Starlink Mobile delivers its next gen service with @au_official to enable 5G speeds from space. The V2 satellite network will expand its V1 capabilities with 100x the data density, and will enable native calling, high-speed apps, streaming and more 🛰️📱 https://t.co/0XnQNkQxUbSeptember 17, 2026
Any rival service is probably still a ways away, especially since the company needs to build a somewhat more traditional network infrastructure to compete with conventional carriers in densely populated areas.
But SpaceX is already starting with carriers worldwide. For example, it recently announced a partnership with Japanese telecommunications company KDDI to offer “Starlink Mobile V2,” which will reportedly “offer 100x the data density, and will enable natural calling, high-speed apps, streaming and more.”
And with this FCC green light, we may one day see Starlink Mobile services offered directly to customers in the US and abroad, rather than through partnerships alone.
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