The US Federal Communications Commission will vote on October 29 on whether to advance a new auction of wireless spectrum. The goal is to boost “direct-to-device” services that let phones connect straight to satellites.

The FCC announced the plan on October 7. It also plans an initial vote on updating its rules for direct-to-device services. A separate vote would finalise rules for drone operations in the 800 MHz cellular band.

The proposal would auction 25 megahertz of key spectrum for direct-to-device use. Another 482 megahertz would be made available for extra coverage from space. The aim is to end mobile dead zones by beaming service from satellites directly to ordinary smartphones.

SpaceX and Amazon’s Leo are among the companies building the technology. The FCC has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy 7,500 more second-generation Starlink satellites, taking the total to 15,000. SpaceX also acquired 65 megahertz of spectrum from EchoStar for $19.6 billion.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the proposals use “cutting-edge tech to end cell phone dead zones.” He added that upcoming spectrum auctions could raise more than $100 billion.