The FCC said 'yes' to Starlink routers — but only until 2028

Ένα router φτιαγμένο εν μέρει στο Βιετνάμ μόλις πήρε το «πράσινο φως» του Πενταγώνου για την εθνική ασφάλεια των ΗΠΑ. Ακούγεται σαν αντίφαση, αλλά είναι ακριβώς αυτό που συνέβη στις 27 Ιουλίου 2026, όταν η Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ενέκρινε εξαίρεση για τα routers του Starlink από τη λίστα εξοπλισμού που θεωρείται «απαράδεκτος κίνδυνος» για τις ΗΠΑ.

The issue doesn't just affect American subscribers. It shows how the network equipment industry is realigning itself around national security, and Starlink — a service that hundreds of users have here, on islands and mountain settlements in Greece — is at the center of that realignment.

According to the FCC's public notice published on July 27, 2026 , the exemption for Starlink routers is in effect from that date until February 1, 2028. It does not apply to anything already in circulation; it only applies to new equipment approvals that SpaceX will seek in the future.

What exactly changed with the FCC decision?

Let’s get straight to the point. The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced that the Department of War (the new name for the former U.S. Department of Defense) has granted “Conditional Approval” to Starlink routers. This means that SpaceX can continue to seek equipment approval for new router models without running afoul of the ban that has been in place since March 2026.

The approval is not permanent. It expires on February 1, 2028, which practically means that SpaceX will need another renewal in less than two years — if it wants to continue introducing new router models to the US market.

Something that is often misunderstood: the decision does not affect routers that are already in circulation or that are already in the supply chain. Anyone who currently has a Starlink Dishy with Router 3 or Router Mini is not affected in any way.

How we got here: the story of Covered List

The Covered List is nothing new. It is based on Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, a law that gave the FCC the authority to designate equipment or services as an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security. Until recently, the list mainly concerned Chinese network equipment manufacturers, with the most well-known example being Huawei.

In March 2026, however, the list expanded dramatically: an entire category was added — “foreign-made routers” — which essentially touches almost every major network equipment manufacturer worldwide, regardless of the company’s nationality.

The problem is that almost no routers are made entirely in the US. The decision is also linked to concerns about the Salt Typhoon attacks , in which state-run hackers linked to China penetrated American telecommunications networks. Since then, any manufacturer that wants to sell new router models in the US must go through a “Conditional Approval” or “expedited waiver” process through the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security.

Which other manufacturers have already received an exemption?

Starlink is by no means alone on this list. As of April 2026, at least a dozen manufacturers have received similar exemptions, including Netgear (Nighthawk and Orbi series), Nokia, Adtran, Calix, Sagemcom, Arcadyan (which supplies hardware to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon), Vantiva, Gemtek, Sercomm, Humax, Askey, and Hitron.

Amazon received a separate approval for its eero line, including Amazon Leo routers, effective from April 22, 2026, to October 31, 2027 — about eighteen months, similar to other manufacturers. An interesting tidbit: Until Monday’s announcement, TP-Link was nowhere to be found on the exemption list, which many analysts attribute to the company’s ties to Chinese interests.

💡 Pro-Tip: If you're buying networking equipment from the US (e.g. via import or for travel use), it's worth taking a look at the FCC's exemption list before ordering — it shows which manufacturers have a "clear" path and which don't, which often affects stock availability.

What does this mean for those who have Starlink in Greece?

Let's be clear: the FCC ruling is a US regulation and does not directly affect the availability or pricing of Starlink kits sold in Greece. CE marking and Radio Equipment Directive rules are a different process than the Covered List, and Starlink deployment in Greece continues as normal.

But if you look at it from a supply chain perspective, the picture changes. SpaceX maintains a factory in Bastrop, Texas, but models like the Router Mini are partially manufactured in Vietnam. Any production shifts the company makes to meet US regulations ultimately affect the availability of equipment arriving in Europe — a Router Mini that is delayed in the US is usually delayed elsewhere as well.

In tests we recently conducted with Starlink Dishy in a semi-urban area of ​​Attica, the same hardware (Gen 3 router) functioned normally regardless of the country of manufacture — something to be expected, since the FCC regulation concerns import licensing in the US and not technical specifications of the router itself.

There's a second, longer-term point: if SpaceX moves full router production to the US to avoid future friction with the Covered List, production costs will likely rise. And that, sooner or later, will be passed on to pricing outside the US — something that already deserved our own critical look at the end of the free dish for new subscribers.

Why 'Made in Vietnam' became a problem for an American company

Herein lies the most interesting contradiction of the whole story. Earlier this year, journalistic investigations showed that while many Starlink Gen 3 and Gen 2 routers are labeled “Made in USA,” some Router Mini models are clearly labeled “Made in Vietnam.” This created confusion, especially after statements that presented Starlink routers as exclusively American-made.

Why does this matter? Because it clearly shows that even large, “nationally proud” companies rely on global supply chains. SpaceX is no exception — it just has the advantage of a factory in Texas that allows it to quickly shift production if needed, something that many smaller manufacturers don’t have the luxury of doing.

Technoid Reality: “Made in USA” on a router label doesn’t necessarily mean what the average consumer thinks. It often means final assembly or quality control in the US, while critical components—chipsets, PCBs, power supplies—are sourced elsewhere. The Starlink case makes that clear to everyone.

⚠️ Reality Check: The FCC exemption doesn't mean Starlink "gained" anything special over its competitors. It got exactly the same treatment as Netgear, Nokia, and Amazon Leo — it just arrived later in the line.

What it means for the global networking industry

Until recently, a router maker was concerned primarily with price, Wi-Fi speed, and design. Now, every major player—from Netgear to SpaceX—must go through a national security process before releasing a new model to the U.S. market. That’s unprecedented for an industry that, until a few years ago, considered geopolitics “another department’s problem.”

Companies with strong ties to the US or a proven “clean” supply chain seem to move through the process more quickly. In contrast, manufacturers with Chinese ownership or exposure to a Chinese supply chain face a much more difficult road ahead — DJI, for example, has already sued the FCC over a similar ban on its drones.

A realistic scenario for the future: something similar to the Covered List could appear in Europe, through frameworks such as the Cyber ​​Resilience Act or the NIS2 directive, which already pressure network equipment suppliers to prove the origin of critical components. It is not an identical model, but the logic — “we know exactly who made what is connected to our network” — is gaining ground on both sides of the Atlantic.

🔄 Alternative: If you're more interested in domestic equipment production than the geopolitical dimension, it's worth following developments around the new, lighter Starlink V5 — as new hardware models are often a company's first opportunity to change manufacturing location without cost to existing inventory.

FAQ

What is the FCC Covered List?

It is a list of telecommunications equipment and services that the FCC considers to pose an “unacceptable risk” to US national security, under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019. It initially covered mainly Chinese manufacturers, but since 2026 has been expanded to cover any router manufactured in part outside the US. It is maintained by the Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

Why were routers generally added to the Covered List in 2026?

The decision is linked to concerns about attacks on US telecommunications networks, most notably the Salt Typhoon case. Authorities have determined that foreign-made routers, even from US companies, can be an entry point for cyberattacks or surveillance.

Does the decision affect those who already have Starlink Dishy in Greece?

Not immediately. The regulation concerns licensing the import of new equipment into the US and has nothing to do with the CE certification that applies in Greece and the rest of the EU. Anyone who already has an active connection continues normally without any changes.

What other brands have received a similar exemption?

Netgear (Nighthawk, Orbi), Amazon eero/Amazon Leo, Nokia, Adtran, Calix, Sagemcom, Arcadyan, Vantiva, Gemtek, Sercomm, Humax, Askey and Hitron are already on the exclusion list as of April 2026. TP-Link, on the other hand, did not yet appear on the list until late July.

Why is the Starlink router considered "foreign-made" since SpaceX is an American company?

Because a company's nationality doesn't determine where it's manufactured. Models like the Router Mini are partly manufactured in Vietnam, although SpaceX also maintains a factory in Bastrop, Texas. The FCC rule looks at the origin of the equipment, not where the company is headquartered.

How long will the Starlink exemption last?

From July 27, 2026 to February 1, 2028 — that’s about eighteen months. After that, SpaceX will need a new renewal to continue getting approval for new router models in the US.

Will we see something similar in the EU or in Greece?

There is currently no equivalent “Covered List” in the EU, but frameworks such as the Cyber ​​Resilience Act and the NIS2 directive are moving towards a similar logic of transparency in the supply chain of network equipment. It is not unlikely that we will see stricter controls in Europe in the coming years.

What does "conditional approval" mean as opposed to permanent approval?

It means that the approval is valid for a specific period of time and not for life. The manufacturer must periodically demonstrate that their product does not pose a risk, and the permit may be renewed, modified or not renewed at all, depending on new evidence.

The real story here isn’t that Starlink “passed the test.” It’s that no networking equipment company, no matter how powerful, can now take for granted access to the American market without proving, over and over again, where every cable and chip actually comes from. And the more countries adopt this logic, the more complicated—and more expensive—it becomes to build a simple router.