FCC Approves SpaceX Plan to Deploy 7,500 Additional Starlink Satellites

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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, significantly expanding the company’s satellite broadband network as it seeks to boost global internet coverage.

With the approval, SpaceX is now authorised to operate a total of 15,000 Gen2 Starlink satellites worldwide. The FCC also granted permission for the company to upgrade these satellites, operate across five frequency bands, and waived previous restrictions that limited overlapping coverage and network capacity.

According to the FCC, the newly authorised satellites will support direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and provide supplemental coverage within the U.S., enabling next-generation mobile services and internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

“This FCC authorisation is a game-changer for enabling next-generation services,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr. “By authorising 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition, and help ensure that no community is left behind.”

SpaceX had sought approval to deploy nearly 30,000 satellites in total, but the FCC said it is, for now, approving only half of that request. The remaining 14,988 proposed Gen2 satellites — including those intended to operate above 600 kilometres in orbit — will be reviewed at a later stage.

Under the decision, SpaceX must launch and operate at least 50% of the authorised Gen2 satellites by December 1, 2028, with full deployment required by December 2031. The company is also required to complete deployment of its 7,500 first-generation satellites by late November 2027.

The approval comes as Starlink continues to reconfigure its constellation. The company said last week it would begin lowering satellites orbiting at around 550 kilometres to 480 kilometres during 2026 to improve space safety. SpaceX disclosed in December that one satellite suffered an in-orbit anomaly that generated a small amount of debris — a rare kinetic incident for the satellite internet operator.

SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has become the world’s largest satellite operator through Starlink, which currently consists of about 9,400 active satellites delivering broadband internet to consumers, governments and businesses. Former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel had previously called for more competition in the satellite broadband sector, noting that Starlink controlled nearly two-thirds of all active satellites.

U.S. Democrats Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok Over Sexualised AI Images

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Three Democratic U.S. senators have urged Apple and Google to remove social media platform X and its built-in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of non-consensual sexual images of women and minors.

In a letter published on Friday, Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Lujan and Edward Markey said the two tech giants “must remove these apps from the app stores until X’s policy violations are addressed.” The letter argues that the continued availability of the apps undermines Apple’s and Google’s own app store rules prohibiting sexual or pornographic material and content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has faced growing global scrutiny after Grok generated AI-created images depicting women and children in sexualised or degrading contexts without consent. The senators noted that both Apple and Google have previously acted quickly to remove apps found to be in violation of similar standards.

“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” the lawmakers wrote.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. X referred to an earlier statement saying it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material. X’s parent company, xAI, did not directly address the senators’ demands, reiterating only that criticism of the platform amounted to “legacy media lies.”

The pressure comes as regulators in several countries intensify scrutiny of X and Grok. In Britain, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she expected media regulator Ofcom to take action within days if the platform fails to comply with online safety rules.

While xAI has introduced some limits on Grok’s image generation for non-paying users, critics argue the measures are insufficient. Senator Wyden said the changes merely force some users to pay to create harmful images, while the platform continues to profit from abusive content.

DeepSeek Plans February Launch of Coding-Focused AI Model V4, Report Says

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Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is expected to launch its next-generation AI model, V4, in mid-February, with a strong focus on coding capabilities, The Information reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, internal testing by DeepSeek employees indicates that the V4 model could outperform leading rivals such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT series in software development and coding-related tasks. The model is also said to show major improvements in handling extremely long and complex coding prompts, a feature that could give developers an edge when working on large-scale or intricate software projects.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report, and DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Based in Hangzhou, DeepSeek has rapidly emerged as a prominent player in China’s drive to build a domestic AI ecosystem and reduce reliance on foreign technology. The company attracted international attention after several Silicon Valley executives publicly praised its earlier models, including DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, for their performance and cost efficiency.

In January, Reuters reported that DeepSeek claimed to have developed a low-cost rival to ChatGPT, further boosting its profile in the global AI race. However, the company has also faced scrutiny in some countries over concerns related to data security and privacy practices, highlighting the growing regulatory attention surrounding advanced AI systems.