Starlink spectrum deal boosts Musk plan to beat AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
Nationwide 800 MHz spectrum to help Starlink provide mobile coverage indoors.
Nationwide 800 MHz spectrum to help Starlink provide mobile coverage indoors.
The short version
- SpaceX has a deal to purchase nationwide low-band spectrum licenses for a planned terrestrial mobile network that would complement the space-based Starlink cellular service.
- SpaceX will buy up to 14 megahertz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band from investment firm Grain Management , which bought the spectrum rights from T-Mobile earlier this year.
- T-Mobile had obtained the spectrum when it bought Sprint in 2020 and was required to sell the licenses under a merger condition imposed by the US government.
What happened
“This prime low-band spectrum addresses one of the key remaining technical gaps that will pave the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major mobile carrier in the US,” SpaceX said yesterday . SpaceX this week also received US approval to launch 15,000 satellites for an upgraded version of its mobile service that it says will be far more powerful than the current offering.
Why it matters
The 800 MHz spectrum licenses cover “approximately 100 percent of the US population,” the Federal Communications Commission said in a July 2026 order approving Grain’s purchase of the T-Mobile licenses.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.