SpaceX announced an agreement on Thursday to purchase a nationwide spectrum portfolio as it pushes its Starlink service deeper into the U.S. telecommunications market. Shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile tumbled in extended trading.
The deal involves the acquisition of a spectrum portfolio from Grain Management, which specializes in digital infrastructure, and is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. SpaceX said in a statement that it’s a “license portfolio of up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band.”
“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.
In a post on X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called it a “very big deal.”
Last week, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon formed a joint venture “focused on expanding coverage in underserved areas,” via satellite and direct-to-device (D2D) services, and Starlink was notably absent. T-Mobile has also previously removed mention of Starlink from its T-Satellite promotions.
SpaceX appears determined to battle telecommunications giants in the U.S., and deliver its own services without them.
READ MORE: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/08/spacex-spectrum-license-att-verizon-tmobile.html
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