(Starlink.com)
SpaceX’s Starlink has received an exemption to the US’s ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers when the company’s own products have been known to be made in Vietnam.
On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission announced the exemption, which lasts until February 1st, 2028, or the maximum period of 18 months. The company joins the US-based Netgear, Amazon’s eero and several others, which have also received the same temporary relief, when electronics manufacturing has long occurred in Asia.
The White House’s foreign-made router ban is attempting to prevent cybersecurity vulnerabilities, but the policy only applies to new product models. So the existing Starlink devices, the Router 3 and Router Mini, can continue to be made outside the US. However, for any new products, the ban requires companies to manufacture the device domestically, unless an exemption has been granted. To apply, a company needs to answer several topics, including its plan to expand router manufacturing in the US.
SpaceX’s decision to apply for the exemption suggests the company is planning a new Wi-Fi router model for the satellite internet service, but needs time to transition the manufacturing from Asia to the US. Earlier this month, the company began selling a new V5 dish that’s smaller, lighter and more energy efficient. A new firmware update also suggests a portable Mini 2 Starlink dish is in the works as well.
SpaceX has a large factory in Bastrop, Texas that can produce over 20,000 Starlink dishes per week. But the company’s own labels on the Router 3 and Router Mini have been spotted listing them as manufactured in Vietnam, perhaps to save on costs. (A large portion of laptop and video game console manufacturing has already migrated to Vietnam as well). Other Starlink Wi-Fi router models have been listed as made in the US or Taiwan.
The foreign-made router ban could bolster the US’s manufacturing sector and create more factory jobs. But the same ban has also sparked concerns it’ll divert resources away from innovation and raise costs for Wi-Fi routers, forcing consumers to pay more. Meanwhile, Starlink has been bundling Wi-Fi routers with its own dish models, although the Router Mini has received some complaints about its range being too limited. That said, you can use a third-party router with Starlink too.
About Our Expert
I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.
Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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