(Credit: Apple)
The Trump-led FCC is facing a decision that might degrade satellite connectivity on Apple iPhones but benefit SpaceX's cellular Starlink service.
This week, Apple's satellite communication provider, Globalstar, revealed that its lawyers had met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who’s been friendly with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. During the meeting, they discussed SpaceX’s regulatory push to share access to the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz radio bands for mobile satellite connectivity.
Globalstar has long had exclusive access to that radio spectrum with Iridium. Expanding access promises to upgrade signal quality on SpaceX's cellular Starlink service, which is rolling out to T-Mobile users through a beta program. But Globalstar has warned that doing so risks creating interference with its own satellite network. "There is no public interest justification for undermining the spectrum environment upon which Globalstar has relied," it said in the meeting with Carr.
Globalstar added: "Significantly, no party has ever demonstrated that another operator’s MSS [mobile satellite service] system could provide service in the Big LEO (low-Earth orbit) band without causing substantial harmful interference to Globalstar’s MSS offerings."
The regulatory battle between Globalstar and SpaceX over the radio spectrum stretches back to at least 2022. But the spat has taken on a new dimension because of Carr and President Trump, who has made Musk a "special government employee" overseeing the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Last year, under Democratic Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC initially denied SpaceX’s attempt to use the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz radio bands. Instead, the commission required the company to go through a formal rule-making process and called for public comment before deciding whether to revise the spectrum rules.
SpaceX previously told the FCC that "Globalstar's hyperbolic claims of interference similarly lack merit," arguing in a May 2024 letter that "what Globalstar really fears is competition itself, something it has managed to avoid for decades and now desperately seeks to prevent."
In response, Globalstar has argued: "SpaceX has never demonstrated—or even attempted to demonstrate—that its 7,500-satellite mega constellation or any other MSS system could operate in the Big LEO band without causing substantial harmful interference."
The dispute underscores the heated competition to deliver satellite-to-phone services, which has often involved the companies lobbying regulators. It's unclear when the FCC will rule on the matter. In the meantime, Globalstar is spending over $1 billion to develop a new satellite constellation using the 1.6/2.4GHz bands to upgrade satellite connectivity for iPhones.
At the same time, SpaceX has launched dozens of new satellites to bolster coverage for its cellular Starlink service, which relies on T-Mobile's licensed spectrum in the 1.9GHz bands.