- The FCC has granted Starlink Mobile the right to operate internationally
- This opens the door both to a roaming service for US customers and a Starlink Mobile service in other countries
- The company already has partnerships abroad, and previous reports suggested Starlink Mobile was planning to launch a rival to conventional carriers
Starlink Mobile is barely off the ground in the US yet, with its service primarily offered through the dead zone-filling T-Satellite service in partnership with T-Mobile. But we know the brand has bigger mobile ambitions — and it now seems they won’t be limited to the US.
Following reports that SpaceX was planning to build a Starlink-branded mobile network in the US, the company — as spotted by NotebookCheck — has now received approval from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to offer international telecommunications services.
This, at a minimum, could allow Starlink Mobile to offer those dead zone-filling capabilities to US customers when they’re roaming abroad, but it also opens the door to Starlink Mobile services being offered directly to residents of other countries, rather than them only being available through partnerships with other networks.
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And we know Starlink plans to level 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 deliver coverage where conventional mobile networks struggle, could make it either a major boon to carriers it partners with or a significant rival if SpaceX sets up a standalone alternative to the likes of T-Mobile and Verizon.
Starlink mobile services are already rolling out in numerous countries
Starlink Mobile will deliver its next-gen service with @au_official to enable 5G speeds from space. The V2 satellite network will expand upon its V1 capabilities with 100x the data density, and will enable native calls, high-speed apps, streaming and more 🛰️📱 https://t.co/0XnQNkQxUbSeptember 17, 2026
Any rival service is probably still a way off, especially as the company might need to build some more traditional network infrastructure to compete with conventional carriers in densely populated areas.
But SpaceX is already starting to partner with carriers globally. For example, it recently announced a partnership with Japanese telecommunications company KDDI to offer “Starlink Mobile V2,” which will apparently offer “100x the data density, and will enable native calls, high-speed apps, streaming and more.”
And with this FCC green light, we might one day see Starlink Mobile services offered directly to customers both in the US and abroad, rather than through partnerships alone.
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