AT&T tries to block Starlink/T-Mobile plan for satellite-to-phone service

Enlarge / A flag on the fifth green during the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament at TPC Craig Ranch on May 11, 2023, in McKinney, Texas. (credit: Getty Images | Mike Mulholland)

AT&T and other entities are trying to block the SpaceX/T-Mobile plan to provide Starlink satellite service directly to cell phones.

In a filing yesterday, AT&T urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject the SpaceX/T-Mobile proposal. “The FCC’s rules do not permit SpaceX’s proposed use of T-Mobile’s terrestrial spectrum, and Applicants fail to even request—much less justify—rule waivers that would be necessary to authorize their proposed SCS [supplemental coverage from space] authorizations,” AT&T said.

AT&T said it is interested in the proceeding because it has a license to use adjacent spectrum in the PCS C Block. AT&T says the SpaceX/T-Mobile plan, which was announced in August 2022, could “jeopardize or inhibit the delivery of terrestrial wireless services,” including mobile broadband.