SpaceX has signed an agreement to buy 100% of Grain Management’s nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, a move that would give Starlink Mobile low-band airwaves alongside its existing 2 GHz holdings. Reuters reports that financial terms were not disclosed and the transaction still requires Federal Communications Commission approval.
That pending spectrum purchase is separate from another regulatory milestone. The FCC has already authorized SpaceX to deploy 15,000 next-generation satellites for direct-to-device service. Together, the two developments outline SpaceX’s plan to combine a satellite network with terrestrial mobile infrastructure, but they do not mean that the hybrid service is operating nationwide today.
Why the 800 MHz spectrum matters
The licenses cover up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band. Low-band radio waves travel farther and penetrate walls, buildings and tree cover better than higher-frequency signals, which could help Starlink Mobile address indoor coverage and other places where a satellite-only link may struggle.
Most existing, unmodified phones already support the 800 MHz band, according to Reuters. SpaceX says that, after regulatory approval, it plans to combine that spectrum with its satellite-to-phone system and a terrestrial network. That is a company roadmap rather than a demonstrated coverage result, and the spectrum transfer remains subject to FCC review.
What the FCC approved
In an Oct. 6 order, the FCC authorized a 15,000-satellite non-geostationary constellation for mobile satellite and supplemental coverage services. Via Satellite reports that the spacecraft are planned for nine very-low-Earth-orbit shells between 326 and 335 kilometers. The agency deferred some of SpaceX’s spectrum requests and attached conditions to authority involving spectrum previously acquired from EchoStar.
SpaceX says its V2 Starlink Mobile satellites will provide more than 100 times the bandwidth of the current generation. The authorization permits deployment, but that performance figure remains SpaceX’s projection and depends on launches, network buildout and service execution.
Shares of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T each fell more than 6.5% in extended trading, Reuters reported. The market reaction was immediate; the more consequential test will be whether SpaceX clears the remaining spectrum approval and turns the combined network plan into a commercial service.
