SpaceX has agreed to buy a nationwide block of low band wireless spectrum, a deal the company says will let Starlink Mobile operate as a full US carrier rather than a satellite add-on for someone else\u2019s network.\n<\/p>\n
The company announced the agreement on X on Thursday afternoon, saying it will \u201cpave the way for @Starlink to become a major mobile carrier in the US.\u201d The seller is Grain Management, a private investment firm that confirmed in a statement<\/a> that SpaceX will acquire 100% of its nationwide 800 MHz portfolio. That covers up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum in the 817 to 824 MHz and 862 to 869 MHz bands. Neither side disclosed a price, and the deal still needs FCC approval.\n<\/p>\n We announced an agreement to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum license portfolio that will pave the way for @Starlink to become a major mobile carrier in the US.\n<\/p>\n With this new spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can ensure Americans have access to high-speed mobile broadband no matter where they are \u2192 https:\/\/t.co\/1Uaf48v5pm\n<\/p>\n \u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Grain only recently picked up the licenses itself. It bought the portfolio from T-Mobile in a transaction that closed in August, paying cash plus its own 600 MHz spectrum. Rival AST SpaceMobile had been testing satellites on the same bands before SpaceX stepped in.<\/p>\n SpaceX said its 2 GHz spectrum will handle high bandwidth capacity, while the new 800 MHz layer \u201censures Starlink Mobile\u2019s signal penetrates through obstacles, such as walls, and can provide service to customers\u2019 devices even when they are in buildings.\u201d The company added that most existing phones already support the band, so customers would not need new hardware to use it.\n<\/p>\n That 2 GHz spectrum came from SpaceX\u2019s EchoStar acquisition last year<\/a>, which gave the company exclusive S band rights in the US and global Mobile Satellite Service licenses. The Grain spectrum is different in an important way: it is tailored for service from ground towers, not satellites. SpaceX said that combination would make Starlink Mobile \u201cthe first network operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The announcement also follows a key regulatory win. Earlier this week, the FCC approved SpaceX\u2019s plan to deploy 15,000 second generation Starlink Mobile satellites, which the company has said will carry up to 100 times the data density of the current system, as Teslarati previously reported<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile fell in extended trading after the announcement.\u00a0T-Mobile is currently SpaceX\u2019s launch partner for Starlink Mobile in the US, which makes its position the most complicated of the three.\n<\/p>\n