"The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial mobile carriers and satellite operators to deliver on a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones," said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement.

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

Using satellites as a backup for cell service, and providing coverage in areas where traditional service doesn't cover, just took a big step forward.

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.

SpaceX's direct-to-cell technology will connect millions of Americans with T-Mobiles 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,