WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) -

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Friday said it

would allow Starlink, a unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX, to operate a

direct-to-cell service with T-Mobile at higher power

levels despite objections by rival companies.

AT&T ( T ) and Verizon had filed objections to the

higher power levels saying it could result in harmful

interference and impact their service in some areas. The FCC

said it was approving the waiver for higher power levels

"subject to conditions that will protect terrestrial wireless

carrier operations."

Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla,

SpaceX and the social media platform X, contributed millions of

dollars to President Donald Trump's campaign and is overseeing

Trump's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the decision enables "faster,

more reliable and innovative new services for consumers across

the country."

The FCC said it is requiring Starlink to "address any

harmful interference, if it occurs."

In November, the FCC approved a license for Starlink and

T-Mobile to provide supplemental coverage from space in a bid to

extend internet access to remote areas and eliminate "dead

zones."

T-Mobile Starlink's service said last month it was in public

beta testing using specifically configured satellites with

Direct-to-Cell capabilities to deliver cell phone signals to and

from locations traditional cell towers cannot reach.

T-Mobile noted 500,000 square miles

(1.3 million square km)

of the U.S. are unreachable by towers because of the

terrain, land-use restrictions and other factors.

T-Mobile Starlink also broadcasts Wireless Emergency

Alerts nationwide to anyone in range of the signal and with a

compatible device.

The November decision marked the first time the FCC has

authorized a satellite operator collaborating with a wireless

carrier to provide supplemental telecommunications coverage from

space on some flexible-use spectrum bands allocated to

terrestrial service.

T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a partnership in 2022 and

in January 2024 the first set of satellites supporting the

partnership was launched into low-Earth orbit with SpaceX's

Falcon 9 rocket.

In March 2024, the FCC established a new regulatory

framework for supplemental coverage from space to extend the

reach of wireless networks to remote areas while preserving high

service quality in 4G and 5G networks and preventing harmful

interference.