FCC clears SpaceX to carry Starlink Mobile traffic across borders

The Federal Communications Commission on September 17 granted SpaceX global facilities-based and resale authority under Section 214 to provide telecommunications services between the United States and foreign markets, an application the company said explicitly was intended to support Starlink Mobile service offerings. SpaceX filed an amended application on August 25 and the FCC accepted it for streamlined review on August 28; the grant lets SpaceX act as the carrier of record for traffic crossing international boundaries but does not award additional spectrum or by itself authorize operations in any foreign country. It is the latest in a run of regulatory steps behind the satellite-to-phone business, after the roughly $17 billion EchoStar spectrum purchase approved in May, with CFO Bret Johnsen targeting full 5G-quality service in the first half of 2028 on next-generation satellites launching from 2027.