FCC批准SpaceX部署1.5万颗D2D卫星，九年内完成组网

SpaceX, whose application faced objections from companies such as Eutelsat, Viasat, DirecTV and SES, has nearly 10 years to complete the planned/authorized deployment. The FCC order requires SpaceX to launch 50% of the maximum number of satellites and place them into their assigned orbits no later than Oct. 7, 2032. SpaceX must then launch and begin operating the remaining satellites necessary to complete its authorized D2D constellation no later than Oct. 7, 2035. SpaceX will also be on the hook to provide semi-annual reports – by January 1 and July 1 each year – to provide updates on the deployment, including the number of satellites that have been removed from operation and the number that have reentered the atmosphere. The FCC order paves the way for SpaceX to deploy and launch higher capacity "V2" Starlink Mobile D2D satellites. SpaceX is [targeting user speeds up to 150 Mbit/s](https://satnews.com/2026/02/25/spacex-unveils-150mbps-performance-target-for-upgraded-direct-to-cell-starlink/) for V2, up from 4 Mbit/s for its current offering running on more than 650 D2D satellites. SpaceX will be leaning on the success of its massive Starship rocket to deliver these larger D2D satellites into orbit, and to do so in volume. Starship, a vehicle designed to eventually become rapidly reusable, entered orbit for the first time on its [September 28 test flight](https://www.lightreading.com/satellite/starship-reaches-orbit-releases-26-high-capacity-v3-starlink-satellites). SpaceX has yet to attempt a tower-catch of Starship's upper stage, but is expected to try it in future test flights. The FCC order also comes as the Commission prepares to vote to modernize its Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) rules and build on a framework that lets mobile carriers lease spectrum to satellite providers for D2D services. The proposal, which is set for a vote at the FCC's October 29 Open Meeting, aims to make an additional 482MHz of spectrum available for SCS. "[I]t's become clear in recent years that the rules need a major refresh. So, this month, we will consider a plan to make more spectrum available for leasing, while cutting down regulatory barriers to deal flow and secondary-market transactions," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement released today. Once SpaceX's next-gen D2D program starts to ramp up, it will provide a new option for the company and, possibly, for mobile carriers that view D2D as an increasingly important capability. EchoStar's Boost Mobile will be among the mobile service providers that will tap into SpaceX's next-gen D2D platform. The JV's formation "strengthens the wireless carriers' collective bargaining position and potentially weakens the negotiating standing of future satellite operator partners, if the collection holds," New Street Research analyst David Barden explained in a [research note](https://www.newstreetresearch.com/research/us-telco-carriers-finalize-leo-negotiation-jv/) (registration required). Meanwhile, cracks in some existing D2D relationships continue to form in the face of SpaceX's [ambitions to build a terrestrial network of its own](https://www.lightreading.com/5g/small-cells-big-mess-why-musk-s-spacex-telecom-plan-won-t-work). That ties into [ongoing efforts](https://www.lightreading.com/5g/spacex-might-build-and-buy-its-way-to-a-terrestrial-wireless-network-report) by SpaceX to "negotiate, cajole, and, if necessary, coerce, in an effort to secure an MVNO agreement with one of the Big Three," as MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett puts it. So far, the Big Three (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon) have said they do not intend to sign MVNO deals with SpaceX. Tensions are surfacing elsewhere. After T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan noted that [D2D usage represents just 0.0002% of the operator's total network usage](https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/t-mobile-ceo-satellite-traffic-tiny-compared-overall-network-usage), it was reported that T-Mobile recently [removed references to Starlink](https://www.pcmag.com/news/t-mobile-quietly-drops-starlink-name-from-its-t-satellite-website) from its T-Satellite website. Jeff Baumgartner is a Senior Editor for Light Reading and is responsible for the day-to-day news coverage and analysis of the cable and video sectors. Follow him on [X,](https://twitter.com/thebauminator)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-baumgartner-036ba829/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/jeffbaumgartner787.bsky.social). Baumgartner also served as Site Editor for Light Reading Cable from 2007-2013. In between his two stints at Light Reading, he led tech coverage for Multichannel News and was a regular contributor to Broadcasting + Cable. Baumgartner was named to the 2018 class of the Cable TV Pioneers.