FCC Approves SpaceX Plan for Broadband Satellite Services

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it had approved an application by Elon Musk's privately held Space Exploration Holdings, also known as SpaceX, to provide satellite broadband services in the United States and globally.

"This is the first approval of a U.S.-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies. SpaceX proposed a satellite system comprised of 4,425 satellites and was granted authority to use frequencies in the Ka (20/30 GHz) and Ku (11/14 GHz) bands to provide global Internet connectivity," the FCC said in a statement.