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Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX said it acquired low-band spectrum that will enable it to use its Starlink satellites to become a \u201cmajor mobile carrier\u201d in the US, sending shares in incumbent cell providers falling as much as 8%.<\/p>\n
In a post on X on Thursday, Musk said that the low-band spectrum is \u201cthe last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shares of major mobile phone service providers dropped in postmarket trading. AT&T Inc. fell 7.3% and T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. sank 6.6% as of 5 p.m. in New York. SpaceX rose 1.5% in postmarket trading.<\/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.<\/p>\n
With this new spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can ensure Americans have access to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/uVktZ0g3tu<\/p>\n
\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 8, 2026<\/p>\n
Bloomberg News reported in August that SpaceX was among the companies interested in the spectrum. Musk, SpaceX\u2019s chief executive officer, appeared to reject the idea, responding \u201cnot true\u201d on his X social media platform to a user\u2019s post referencing the report.<\/p>\n
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SpaceX said that once it receives approval from the Federal Communications Commission, it will combine its satellite-to-cell services with a terrestrial network that can connect devices everywhere.<\/p>\n
The new spectrum, which SpaceX acquired from investment firm Grain Management LLC, allows the company to provide cell service that can penetrate walls and provide service to devices indoors. It is supported by most mobile devices today, SpaceX said in a post on its website.<\/p>\n
The price of the agreement was not publicly disclosed by SpaceX or Grain Management.<\/p>\n
The 800 MHz-band licenses became available after Grain completed a spectrum swap in August with T-Mobile. The terms of that transaction, approved by the Federal Communications Commission, called for Grain to seek bids to develop the spectrum, which has been underutilized, according to the commission\u2019s order. The commission had said it wanted the bidding done by Nov. 5.<\/p>\n
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The licenses cover nearly the entire US population, and they\u2019re seen as valuable for helping satellite providers establish a ground-based link for voice services, known as a network pilot.<\/p>\n
Grain has been confident that satellite and terrestrial services can co-exist in the 800 MHz band even though it\u2019s previously only been used for ground-based mobile services, a person familiar with the company\u2019s thinking told Bloomberg in August.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n