US FCC to vote on advancing new spectrum auction to boost 'direct to device' services

The US Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that it will vote on October 29 on ‌whether to advance a new auction of wireless spectrum to boost "direct-to-device" services. The FCC told Reuters it will also hold an initial vote on modernizing its rules for "direct-to-device" services and to finalize rules to allow drone operations within the 800 MHz cellular band.

Direct-to-device ‌satellite technology allows smartphones and other devices to connect directly to satellites and is being developed by SpaceX, Amazon's Leo ‌and others. The FCC in January said it was approving SpaceX's request to deploy another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites as it works to boost internet service worldwide, bringing the total to 15,000 satellites.

"The ‘direct-to-device’ proposals work to continue leveraging this cutting-edge tech to end cell phone dead zones and provide service ⁠directly from ​next-gen satellite constellations to your smartphone," ⁠FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. Carr said last month that a series of upcoming wireless spectrum auctions over the next couple of ⁠years could generate more than $100 billion in proceeds.

The FCC is proposing to auction 25-megahertz of key spectrum for direct to device operations and ​make an additional 482 megahertz of spectrum available for supplemental coverage from space and consider other regulatory changes to ⁠promote more flexible terrestrial, satellite, and hybrid business arrangements for direct to device service. SpaceX acquired 65 megahertz of wireless spectrum from EchoStar opens new tab for $19.6 ⁠billion ​through two deals announced last year, giving Starlink airwaves to expand into mobile services. The commission late Tuesday approved SpaceX's plan to use new spectrum it acquired to expand its direct to device plans.

SpaceX's ambition to build a full-fledged ⁠mobile service rattled investors in the US wireless sector after the company in August outlined plans that could eventually pit Starlink against ⁠the three major US ⁠telecoms. Last week, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon named wireless industry veteran Paul Roth as interim chief executive of their new joint venture aimed at expanding satellite-enabled mobile coverage.

The FCC last week moved ‌to release more ‌spectrum to boost in-home satellite broadband.