On November 10, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accepted for review SpaceX's application to acquire 800 MHz radio frequency licenses held by Grain Management. The purchase will be conducted through its subsidiary Starlink Spectrum Holdings and covers 546 paired licenses operating across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, if the deal is approved, SpaceX will gain access to a frequency resource potentially covering virtually the entire U.S. population. The procedure has now moved to the public comment and regulatory review stage.
Why 800 MHz Specifically
The low-frequency 800 MHz band is of particular interest to the Starlink Mobile project. Compared to higher frequencies, such signals propagate better over long distances and penetrate more effectively inside buildings and past obstacles. According to the company's plan, this resource will complement the 2 GHz band spectrum that SpaceX intends to use to provide high throughput. Together, this will connect satellite infrastructure with terrestrial networks and expand the capabilities of direct smartphone-to-satellite connections, including in remote areas and hard-to-reach locations.
Starlink Mobile Strategy and Retail Market Entry
The acquisition of the nationwide portfolio of licenses fits into SpaceX's broader strategy. According to the Financial Times, the company is exploring the possibility of Starlink entering the retail mobile market and creating its own terrestrial mobile network in the U.S. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell told investors that if the plan is implemented, the company would sell mobile contracts directly to users and compete with the three major U.S. carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile. This differs fundamentally from the current model, in which Starlink partners with T-Mobile, providing satellite access to improve rural coverage without a terrestrial network.
Regulatory Steps and Timeline
The acquisition of the licenses does not automatically mean that Starlink will immediately gain full nationwide mobile coverage. In addition to approving the deal itself, the FCC must review a separate application from SpaceX to use the respective frequencies for expanding satellite coverage. Simultaneously, sources report that the regulator has approved the launch of up to 15,000 next-generation Gen2 satellites designed to provide direct communication with standard mobile devices. The public comment deadline for the frequency deal is set for December 1, and further steps will depend on the regulator's decision and the pace of network deployment.
What This Means for the Market
If all regulatory stages are successfully passed, SpaceX will be among the few players capable of combining satellite and terrestrial infrastructure into a single mobile service. For the U.S. telecom market, this signals the emergence of a potential competitor that could offer direct satellite smartphone connectivity without relying on existing terrestrial networks. For consumers, the key question remains how quickly the company can turn the frequency resource and satellite constellation into a working retail service with reliable coverage in cities and inside buildings.
