US carriers ask FCC to cut 290MHz from Starlink Mobile spectrum plan before October 29 vote

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have jointly asked the US Federal Communications Commission to cut two mid-band slices from its draft satellite-to-phone spectrum plan, weeks after the commission released the proposal.

The carriers, filing through trade group CTIA, asked the FCC to exclude the 2.5GHz and 3.45GHz bands from the expanded satellite-to-phone pool, Tech Insider reported on October 25. The two bands account for 290MHz of the 482MHz the draft would add — roughly three-fifths of the proposal — leaving 192MHz if the request were granted in full.

The carriers’ stated reason is possible interference with terrestrial 5G and mobile-broadband networks, which use the two bands in a time-division duplexing scheme where uplink and downlink traffic share frequencies in coordinated time slots, according to the reporting. CTIA also urged “same customer, same rules” — comparable performance requirements for satellite and terrestrial networks serving the same customer — and asked that terrestrial carriers keep “meaningful consent” and control over how satellites use their licensed spectrum.

The draft, released on October 8, would replace the current spectrum-leasing requirement for satellite-to-phone services with coexistence agreements, and is reported to be scheduled for a commission vote on October 29. Nothing has been decided: the FCC has not adopted the proposal, approved the listed bands for satellite use, or authorised Starlink Mobile to operate in them, Tech Insider cautioned.

The filing is the latest clash over satellite-to-phone spectrum. In a separate 2024 proceeding, AT&T said a SpaceX proposal could cut downlink throughput by 18% on average in an operational market, while Verizon argued SpaceX had not met the legal bar for a waiver of emission limits.

SpaceX is the satellite operator associated with the Starlink Mobile effort in the reporting, though the reporting reviewed did not detail SpaceX’s own filing in this round.

Sources: Tech Insider, https://tech-insider.org/att-verizon-t-mobile-oppose-fcc-scs-482-mhz-starlink-mobile-2026/ ; AeroHaber, https://aerohaber.com/att-t-mobile-verizon-fight-fcc-satellite-proposal-that-helps-spacex/ ; The Inference, https://theinference.org/article/at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-ask-the-fcc-to-cut-290-mhz-from-spacex-s-satellite-plan-before-the-october-29-vote