SpaceX has received international telecommunications service approval for Starlink Mobile from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), paving the way for the company to expand its satellite mobile communications beyond the United States.
SpaceX has received international telecommunications service approval for Starlink Mobile from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), paving the way for the company to expand its satellite mobile communications beyond the United States.
The FCC decision is dated September 17.
This is Starlink Direct to Cell technology, which allows regular smartphones to connect directly to satellites when terrestrial mobile networks are unavailable. SpaceX is currently developing this direction together with mobile operators in various countries.
In the US, Starlink Mobile is partnering with T-Mobile. The service is primarily designed to provide connectivity in areas without terrestrial coverage — including messaging and data.
The next stage should be Starlink Mobile V2. SpaceX expects that the next generation satellites will be able to provide significantly higher bandwidth and support not only messages and individual applications, but also more complete mobile Internet and voice communications. Japanese operator KDDI has already signed an agreement with SpaceX for Starlink Mobile V2 and plans to launch high-speed data transmission and voice calls in areas without terrestrial coverage by the end of 2027.
However, a global launch does not mean that Starlink Mobile will automatically launch in every country immediately after the FCC decision. SpaceX needs separate agreements with local operators and regulators. The company is already concluding such agreements: in particular, KDDI became the first Starlink Mobile V2 partner in Asia.
Ukraine is also already part of this ecosystem. Kyivstar, together with SpaceX , began testing Starlink Direct to Cell in 2026. In June, the operator opened test access to Light Data for subscribers, a technology that allows using certain messengers and navigation services via satellite in places without terrestrial coverage.
Kyivstar is also part of the international network of Starlink Mobile partners. In March, the company reported that 5 million of its subscribers had connected to the Kyivstar-SpaceX satellite network at least once.
