WASHINGTON — XM Satellite Radio Inc. plans to begin commercial service in two U.S. cities Sept. 25, nearly two weeks after the company had planned to start its long-awaited service, according to an XM statement.

The Washington-based company had intended to begin operations in Dallas and San Diego Sept. 12, but cancelled those plans after terrorists attacked New York and Washington the previous morning.

XM officials plan to expand operations to several additional parts of the United States on Oct. 18 and provide service nationwide Nov. 15.

In their statement, dated Sept. 17, XM officials also said the company has received temporary approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate its network of ground-based antennas, or repeaters. The repeaters are designed to rebroadcast XM’s signals in areas where a clear view of the sky is unavailable and are considered crucial to the company’s business plan.

The temporary FCC authorization, which expires in March 2002, replaces the experimental license XM has used until now to operate its terrestrial network.

Although other telecommunications companies have voiced concern about the potential for the repeaters to cause interference, XM officials said they are confident they will eventually receive a full FCC license.