The US Federal Communications Commission has proposed letting satellite operators offer direct-to-phone service in 13 cellular bands instead of five, adding 482 megahertz of spectrum to the pool. It is a proposal open for public comment, not a final rule.
The Commission adopted the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-71) at its open meeting on 29 October, according to an FCC news release. Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty all voted for it.
“With today’s proposal, we take our most comprehensive step yet to modernize the FCC’s rules for direct-to-device,” Carr said in a post on the FCC’s X account.
What the FCC is proposing
The proposal reworks the Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) framework, adopted in 2024. That framework lets mobile carriers lease their spectrum to satellite operators so ordinary phones can connect directly to satellites in areas with no mast. The FCC says interest in such direct-to-device (D2D) service has grown so fast that “a major refresh is needed”, and that its current rules have created “the need for routine waivers”.
The headline change is spectrum. The FCC seeks comment on revising the US Table of Frequency Allocations so that SCS is allowed in 13 bands rather than five, making an extra 482 megahertz available. Its public draft, released on 8 October, said the plan would also expand use of the 344 megahertz already in the framework. The draft’s list covers bands from 600 MHz up to 3.45 GHz, including the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, AWS, PCS and 2.5 GHz bands that carry most mobile traffic today.
The second change is to the rules on who may use the spectrum. The FCC proposes to drop two requirements: that an SCS licence cover a large “geographically independent area”, such as the whole of the contiguous United States, and that the satellite operator hold a lease from the carrier. In their place, it suggests licence areas sized to each operator’s needs and coexistence agreements with the carriers that hold the ground licences.
The notice also asks whether to align the SCS rules with those for the mobile-satellite service (MSS), whether to confirm exclusive rights to certain MSS bands, and what performance standards D2D providers should meet “to ensure that D2D service provides meaningful consumer benefits”. The draft also asked whether the interim rules on 911 calls over satellite need changing.
According to the draft, comments are due 60 days after the notice appears in the Federal Register, and replies 90 days after. The FCC also proposed a separate auction of 25 megahertz at 1675-1695 MHz and 2020-2025 MHz, open to D2D as well as 5G. In that release, it says “More than $45 billion in D2D deal flow” has been approved by or submitted to the FCC in the past year.
Why dropping the lease rule could matter more than the 482 MHz
This is TSN’s analysis. The extra spectrum is the big number, but the lease requirement is what has shaped the market so far. Under the 2024 rules, a satellite operator could only reach phones in a band if a carrier holding that band nationwide agreed to lease it. That is why direct-to-phone services have arrived as carrier partnerships, such as SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile, which Bloomberg has reported is seeking access to 80,000 US cell sites. Replacing leases with coexistence agreements, and nationwide areas with custom ones, could let smaller carriers and regional licensees strike deals they cannot make today.
It would not remove carriers’ leverage entirely. A coexistence agreement still needs the ground licensee’s consent, and the proposal is built around protecting terrestrial networks from interference. The FCC has already been clearing satellite operators case by case, most recently Globalstar’s C-3 system for direct-to-phone service and Amazon Leo’s takeover of Globalstar’s licences. A broader rule would mean fewer one-off waivers.
The performance question may prove the most contested. Asking D2D providers to meet service standards suggests the FCC wants more than text messages in a dead zone. Satellite links are already written into emergency planning: a new US law adds satellites to phone alerts. The US is not alone either. In Europe, four telcos are exploring a joint bid for satellite-to-phone spectrum.
Nothing changes until the FCC weighs the comments and votes on final rules, so carriers, satellite firms and public safety groups now have their say.
Sources
- Federal Communications Commission, “FCC Proposes to Modernize Leasing Rules for D2D Services”, news release, 29 October 2026
- FCC on X, Chairman Carr on the direct-to-device proposal, 29 October 2026
- FCC, public draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on direct-to-device services, 8 October 2026
- Federal Communications Commission, “FCC Aims to Auction 25 Megahertz of Prime, Mid-Band Spectrum”, news release, 29 October 2026
Related stories
- FCC Approves Amazon Leo’s Takeover of Globalstar’s Satellite Licences
- FCC Clears Globalstar’s C-3 Satellite System for Direct-to-Phone Service
- Four EU Telcos Explore a Joint Bid for Satellite-to-Phone Spectrum
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