SpaceX Moves to Become Major Mobile Carrier With Low-Band Spectrum Acquisition

SpaceX has acquired a portfolio of low-band spectrum licenses, a step the company says “will pave the way” for its Starlink Mobile service to become a “major” U.S. carrier.

If the Federal Communications Commission signs off on the deal, SpaceX says it will deploy an architecture that combines its satellite-to-mobile constellation with a terrestrial mobile network, putting it in direct competition with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.

The licenses include up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band. SpaceX says that allocation will allow Starlink Mobile’s signal to penetrate through walls and buildings.

SpaceX previously acquired 2GHz spectrum from EchoStar as part of efforts to bolster its direct-to-device service.

The FCC has approved plans to deploy 15,000 V2 Starlink Mobile satellites that will offer more than 100 times the bandwidth of the current generation, according to SpaceX.

“With this new low-band spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can now become the first network operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum,” SpaceX says.

The company describes the resulting service as “one network that provides Americans with a reliable service indoors, outdoors, in cellular dead zones, and everywhere in between.”

Still, SpaceX’s plan hinges on FCC approval of the spectrum deal, and the company has not specified a timeline for launching the terrestrial network.

If approved, the combined satellite and ground infrastructure would place Starlink Mobile in position to offer wall-penetrating indoor coverage alongside satellite reach, a pairing that no existing major U.S. carrier operates today.

Reporting by The Verge. Read the original report: SpaceX Moves to Become Major Mobile Carrier With Low-Band Spectrum Acquisition.