The Federal Communications Commission rejected a request by SpaceX to take advantage of the 1.6/2.4 GHz radio spectrum that Globalstar has been using for its own satellite services, including Apple’s iPhones.
The denial is part of an FCC on Thursday. order was aimed at setting clear rules for how companies use radio spectrum to power satellite-to-phone services, a market in which SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile and Amazon-Globalstar are expanding rapidly. Tim Farrar, satellite industry analyst summarized The order is that the FCC “tells everyone to stay in their lane.”
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The FCC itself aggregate: “Specifically, the Space Office has published a decision reaffirming the exclusive rights of existing licensees to use certain D2D (direct-to-device) spectrum bands by dismissing several operators’ requests to enter those same bands.”
SpaceX has long Desired access to the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands to boost your satellite-to-phone service on Starlink Mobile. But in 2007, only Globalstar and Iridium originally had exclusive access to the spectrum. SpaceX has been arguing You can share radio access with Globalstar without causing radio interference. But in Thursday’s order, the Commission said it found “no political or public interest reasons to review the current licensing framework.”
The FCC noted that it originally gave Globalstar and Iridium exclusive access to the bands to provide regulatory “certainty and stability.” The Commission further noted how Globalstar has since invested in developing 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 omnidirectional antennas, there are significant harmful interference challenges for current users in enabling additional uses in these bands,” the FCC added.
Similarly, the Commission also rejected a request from SpaceX to use the 1.5/1.6 GHz bands that Ligado Networks was originally authorized to use.
However, SpaceX saw a positive development in a spectrum battle. The FCC denied rival AST SpaceMobile’s request to use a portion of the 2.0 and 2.1 GHz spectrum, which SpaceX is acquiring EchoStar for US and international use. AST, which is also developing its own satellite-to-phone service, proposed sharing spectrum outside the United States. But SpaceX had been asking the FCC to reject the request, saying AST’s proposal would create harmful interference and violate the Commission’s precedent on spectrum use.
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“The Commission has made it very clear that an application for international mobile satellite service (‘MSS’) authorization will be granted only when the applicant holds US authorization for the same spectrum,” SpaceX told the FCC last month.
In denying AST’s request, the FCC order determined that “consistent with our internal policy and to ensure that the licensee of the US 2 GHz spectrum has a fair opportunity to compete in the global SMS market, we also decline to consider any additional US commercial systems for international operations in the 2 GHz band.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr commented on the order in positive terms. “This week we’re taking important steps to give this exciting industry the clarity it needs to build satellite systems and invest in spectrum with confidence. And we’re just getting started,” he said, noting that the FCC is preparing more actions to “boost” satellite-to-phone services.
About our expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for more than 15 years. I started 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 currently reside in San Francisco, but previously spent more than five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I have covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing more than 600 stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I scoured the FCC files for the latest news and drove to remote corners of California to test Starlink 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 pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly collecting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint report investigation with motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages took me camping vs. Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. Now I’m tracking how the AI-driven memory shortage is affecting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so hit the comments with your feedback and send me tips.
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