FCC Tells SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile To Stay In Their Lane With Satellite Spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission has shot down a SpaceX request to tap the 1.6/2.4GHz radio spectrum that Globalstar has been using for its own satellite services, including for Apple iPhones. 

The denial is part of a Thursday FCC order intended to set clear rules on how companies use radio spectrum to power satellite-to-phone services, a market where SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile, and Amazon-Globalstar are rapidly expanding into. Satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar summed up the order as the FCC “telling everyone to stay in their lane.”

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The FCC itself added: “Specifically, the Space Bureau has released a decision that reaffirms existing licensees’ exclusive rights to use certain D2D (direct to device) spectrum bands by dismissing the requests of several operators to enter those same bands.”

SpaceX has long desired access to the 1.6/2.4GHz bands to bolster its satellite-to-phone service in Starlink Mobile. But back in 2007, only Globalstar and Iridium were originally given exclusive access to the spectrum. SpaceX has been arguing it can share the radio access with Globalstar without causing radio interference. But in Thursday’s order, the Commission said it found “no policy or public interest reasons to overhaul the current licensing framework.”

The FCC noted it originally gave Globalstar and Iridium exclusive access to the bands to provide regulatory “certainty and stability.” The Commission further pointed to how Globalstar has since invested in building up its satellite services to power emergency messaging for Apple iPhones.

“Given the nature of MSS (mobile satellite services), including the ubiquity and portable nature of mobile devices, and the use of omni-directional antennas, there are significant harmful interference challenges to incumbent users in allowing additional uses in these bands,” the FCC added. 

Similarly, the Commission also rejected a SpaceX request to use the 1.5/1.6GHz bands that Ligado Networks was originally authorized to use. 

However, SpaceX did see a positive development in one spectrum battle. The FCC denied rival AST SpaceMobile’s request to use a slice of 2.0 and 2.1GHz spectrum, which SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar for US and international use. AST, which is also developing its own satellite-to-phone service, proposed sharing the spectrum outside the US. But SpaceX had been calling for the FCC to deny the request, saying AST’s proposal would create harmful interference, and flout the Commission’s precedent on spectrum use. 

“The Commission has made abundantly clear that a request for international mobile-satellite service (‘MSS’) authorization will be granted only where the applicant possesses the US authorization for the same spectrum,” SpaceX told the FCC last month. 

In rejecting AST’s request, the FCC order found that “Consistent with our domestic policy and to ensure that the US 2 GHz spectrum licensee has a fair opportunity to compete in the global MSS marketplace, we also decline to consider any additional US commercial systems for international operations in the 2 GHz band.”

The FCC’s Chairman Brendan Carr commented on the order in positive terms. “We are taking important actions this week to give this exciting industry the clarity it needs to build satellite systems and invest in spectrum confidently. And we’re just getting started,” he said, noting the FCC is preparing more action to “supercharge” satellite-to-phone services.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

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Experience

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

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