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SpaceX and T-Mobile are lobbying to relax a rule that prevents older smartphones from accessing SpaceX's cellular Starlink service.
T-Mobile is preparing to launch support for cellular Starlink on its network in July. The service already supports 50 phone models, including the iPhone 14 and newer and numerous Samsung Galaxy models. But according to a letter that SpaceX and T-Mobile sent to the FCC this week, a “paperwork requirement” in the FCC’s current rules prevents some “legacy” phone models from accessing the service, even though they technically support satellite connectivity.
Under the FCC’s supplemental coverage from space (SCS) rules, a phone manufacturer must apply for and receive a “Part 25” certification for a handset to officially support satellite connectivity. Although some vendors have already applied for Part 25 certifications for their phones, others might not, forcing T-Mobile to block them from cellular Starlink, the companies say.
“Pursuant to the rules, consumers cannot take advantage of the new potentially life-saving service unless the manufacturer of the equipment they already own and operate seeks modified equipment authorization,” the letter says.
“Worse, consumers have no ability to cause manufacturers to update their equipment authorizations—an inability with potentially severe consequences in the midst of an emergency when they need SCS connectivity most,” the letter adds.
This risks creating confusion for consumers, and preventing the cellular Starlink service from helping consumers if they’ve lost access to traditional cellular coverage, SpaceX and T-Mobile say. In response, the companies are requesting a waiver that would let SpaceX beam satellite connectivity to FCC-approved smartphones that have received certifications for other wireless services, but not the Part 25 satellite connectivity.
The waiver would also apply to phones that received certification on or before June 29, 2024, when the FCC began offering a streamlined process for devices to receive Part 25 certification. “However, for earlier-certified devices, there was no such real-time opportunity, and device users should not be disadvantaged because of it,” the companies say, adding that the FCC has previously waived the rule when authorizing emergency satellite connectivity for disaster areas.
The letter doesn’t identify specific phone models. But currently, the cellular Starlink service only supports Pixel 9 devices, not the older Google models. Chinese vendors including OnePlus, Xiaomi, and TCL are also absent from T-Mobile's list of supported cellular Starlink devices.
SpaceX previously called on the FCC to relax the Part 25 rule, but a year ago, the commission disagreed, saying the requirement would let the FCC create a public database that people could search to see which phones support satellite connectivity. The same certification could also “prove beneficial in the event that there are harmful interference incidents and we need to consider enforcement action,” the FCC said at the time.