AT&T and Verizon ask FCC to throw a wrench into Starlink’s mobile plan

Enlarge (credit: T-Mobile)

AT&T and Verizon are urging telecom regulators to reject a key part of SpaceX’s plan to offer cellular service with T-Mobile, claiming the satellite system will interfere with and degrade service for terrestrial mobile broadband networks.

Filings urging the Federal Communications Commission to deny SpaceX’s request for a waiver were submitted by AT&T and Verizon this week. The plan by SpaceX’s Starlink division also faces opposition from satellite companies EchoStar (which owns Dish and Hughes) and Omnispace.

SpaceX and T-Mobile plan to offer Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) for T-Mobile’s cellular network using SpaceX satellites. As part of that plan, SpaceX is seeking a waiver of FCC rules regarding out-of-band emission limits.