AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon seek FCC 5G band exclusions

The FCC is scheduled to vote on October 29, 2026, on making an additional 482MHz across more than a dozen bands available for Supplemental Coverage from Space, as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon seek protection for two heavily used 5G bands that serve some 300 million users.

The proposal also aims to harmonize SCS rules with those for Mobile Satellite Service. On October 20, CTIA and senior executives from the three carriers met senior FCC staff to ask that 2.5GHz and 3.45GHz be stripped from the draft SCS and direct-to-device connectivity framework.

Operators now treat direct-to-device service, known as D2D, as a commercial priority because it can fill coverage gaps in terrestrial mobile networks. Their willingness to develop D2D does not extend to sharing their most heavily used 5G spectrum with satellite services.

Opening terrestrial spectrum to D2D could also benefit competing satellite-to-phone providers, particularly Starlink, which is pushing next-generation D2D platforms. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are separately moving ahead with a D2D-focused joint venture.

The technical fault line is duplex technology

The central issue is a mismatch between the duplex schemes used in terrestrial 5G and satellite D2D. Time-Division Duplex, or TDD, lets uplink and downlink traffic share one frequency through timed sequences. Paired Frequency-Division Duplex, or FDD, assigns them separate, independent channels.

CTIA and the carriers contend that FDD-based D2D operations cannot coexist with terrestrial TDD systems in the same bands. In an ex parte filing, they said SCS was not technically feasible in TDD bands and asked the FCC to remove 2.5GHz and 3.45GHz. They also want draft language to use would rather than could when describing coexistence challenges for in-band and adjacent-band systems.

T-Mobile quantifies the uplink risk

T-Mobile made the same case in a separate filing, arguing that D2D cannot share 2.5GHz without massively degrading its 5G network. The operator describes 2.5GHz as the core foundation of its Ultra Capacity 5G network.

T-Mobile stated: “A satellite signal in the 2.5GHz band can land on top of a tower and collide with terrestrial signals.” It said the collision could cause calls to drop, delay uplink transmission and reduce indoor coverage.

The company said the risk remains even if terrestrial and satellite transmissions are perfectly aligned. Its presentation to FCC officials on October 21 set out several estimates:

• Up to 96% of a cell site's uplink coverage area could be lost where satellite coverage overlaps.
• In those overlap areas, customer uplink speeds could fall by 88% to 99%.
• As far as 15 miles from a market boundary, satellite transmissions could reduce T-Mobile's uplink coverage by approximately 35%.
• A satellite phone near the line could overwhelm a cell site one to three miles away.

These figures are T-Mobile estimates rather than an FCC finding. The operator also noted that 2.5GHz spectrum for D2D had been considered and rejected in 2024. It asked the FCC to focus SCS on terrestrial spectrum operating in FDD, keeping the 2.5GHz band available for interference-free terrestrial 5G.

What does the FCC vote change for satellite-to-phone providers?

For satellite-to-phone providers, the practical effect is whether the proposed SCS framework retains access to the two TDD bands. The FCC's October 29 item would add 482MHz across more than a dozen bands and align SCS with Mobile Satellite Service rules.

If 2.5GHz and 3.45GHz remain, providers can pursue D2D use; if the carriers prevail, those bands leave the framework and remain focused on terrestrial 5G.

The commercial contest extends beyond satellite spectrum

Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner described Starlink's position on the October 26 edition of his weekly podcast as the “Starlink Doctrine”:

“What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine, too.”

Entner said the doctrine cuts against the mobile licensing model. Licensed and unlicensed spectrum serve different purposes, he argued, and licensees that pay for spectrum should receive its exclusive benefits.

Mike Dano, Ookla's lead industry analyst and a former Light Reading editor, said the FCC will decide how spectrum is used for phone-to-satellite D2D services from Starlink, AST SpaceMobile, Amazon Leo or another provider. He said the cellular industry, through CTIA, wants a voice in that decision.

Starlink is pushing next-generation D2D platforms and has raised the prospect of building a terrestrial network to work alongside its satellite network.

Market reaction was sharp. AT&T and T-Mobile shares closed more than 7% lower on Friday, October 23, 2026, while Verizon fell 1.19%. All three recovered some ground on the morning of Monday, October 26.

The October 29 vote is the next hard deadline. Its result will determine whether satellite-to-phone providers can pursue the two contested 5G bands, while the three carriers prepare a joint D2D venture and Starlink considers a terrestrial network alongside its satellites.