SpaceX has agreed to acquire a nationwide portfolio of low-band spectrum licenses, a move the company says will pave the way for its Starlink Mobile service to become a major US carrier. The deal, reported by Bloomberg and The Verge, directly challenges T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon.
News of the acquisition sent shares of the three major US carriers down more than 6% in after-hours trading, as investors weighed a new satellite-backed competitor with both orbital and ground-based network ambitions.
What the spectrum deal includes
The licenses cover up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band. SpaceX says this low-band airwaves will allow Starlink Mobile signals to pass through walls and buildings, improving indoor coverage where satellite-only service struggles.
The deal still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Once cleared, SpaceX plans to deploy a new architecture that merges its satellite-to-mobile constellation with a terrestrial mobile network.
SpaceX previously bought 2GHz spectrum from EchoStar to boost its direct-to-device service, and the FCC has already approved plans for 15,000 V2 Starlink Mobile satellites.
- Up to 14 MHz of paired low-band spectrum in the 800 MHz band
- Signals designed to penetrate walls and buildings
- Pending FCC approval
- Combines satellite and terrestrial network in one architecture
