SPACEX BUYS LOW-BAND SPECTRUM TO EXPAND STARLINK MOBILE SERVICE

SpaceX has agreed to acquire a nationwide portfolio of low-band spectrum licences, covering up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band, in a deal it says will help Starlink Mobile become a major mobile carrier in the United States. SpaceX is acquiring the licences from telecoms investment firm Grain Management, which had bought them from T-Mobile, according to one report. The transaction is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and other standard closing conditions, and financial terms have not been disclosed. SpaceX says it intends to build its own terrestrial infrastructure, including antennas on towers, rooftops and other structures, to support the service. The company says low-band spectrum can penetrate walls and buildings, extending coverage indoors as well as outdoors.

SpaceX had previously acquired 2 GHz spectrum, which one report said came from EchoStar, to support its Starlink Gen2 satellite constellation. The FCC has also approved a separate SpaceX filing to launch an additional 15,000 satellites optimised for 2 GHz spectrum, which SpaceX says will offer more than 100 times the bandwidth of its current generation. SpaceX says combining this satellite constellation with a terrestrial mobile network would make Starlink Mobile the first operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum through a single network. The company describes the aim as providing reliable coverage "indoors, outdoors, in cellular dead zones, and everywhere in between."

SpaceX says the combined network would compete directly with existing US carriers T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. The low-band spectrum deal and the satellite deployment plan both still require regulatory sign-off before SpaceX can proceed with its rollout. SpaceX has not disclosed a timeline for when Starlink Mobile's expanded network might become operational.