Starlink becomes a US mobile carrier: FCC approves 15,000 satellites, telecom stocks fall 7%

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceX's second-generation constellation of about 15,000 satellites, as the company builds its own US mobile carrier, Android Headlines reports.

SpaceX agreed to buy up to 14 MHz of nationwide 800 MHz spectrum, after buying 40 MHz of AWS-4, 10 MHz of H-block and 15 MHz of AWS-3 spectrum from EchoStar earlier this year. Shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile each fell about seven percent after hours.

What it means

Satellite links directly to ordinary phones should provide coverage where there are no cell towers. No launch date for the carrier has been given.