The satellite-to-phone service T-Mobile and Starlink first announced back in 2022 has gotten a lot closer to deployment. As SpaceNews and Reuters report, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted the companies conditional approval to provide T-Mobile subscribers coverage using Starlink satellites in locations that can't be reached by the carrier's network.

The Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday it has approved a license for T-Mobile and Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink unit to provide supplemental coverage from space in a bid to extend internet access to remote areas.

The FCC has granted SpaceX permission to go forward with plans to offer a direct-to-phone version of its Starlink satellite internet service, with

The FCC approved T-Mobile and SpaceX's license to provide supplemental telecom coverage from space to eliminate dead zones.

The US regulator is also allowing SpaceX to orbit some of the company's Starlink satellites closer to Earth, which should reduce latency.

The T-Mobile license is the first collaboration between a satellite operator and wireless carrier to be approved by the FCC to provide supplemental cell coverage from space. “The Commission recognized that satellite-to-device connectivity can support critical public interest benefits,

SpaceX's direct-to-cell technology will connect millions of Americans with T-Mobile’s network, but there are still over 500,000 square miles of the US with no cell service. FCC approval sets SpaceX ahead in the market,