SpaceX takes aim at US wireless carriers with spectrum acquisition

By Akash Sriram and David Shepardson

Oct 8 (Reuters) - ‌SpaceX struck a deal ​on Thursday ​to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum portfolio, moving Elon Musk's satellite venture closer to mounting a direct, orbital challenge to legacy wireless giants across the United States.

The Elon Musk-led space company will pay about $8 billion in ‌cash for the assets to the seller, private-equity firm Grain Management, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people ⁠familiar with the matter.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. SpaceX and Grain did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

SpaceX's Starlink Mobile ‌satellite-to-cellular service has existing global 2 GHz ‌mid-band spectrum for high-bandwidth capacity. The new spectrum will enable its signal to pass through obstacles.

Low-band frequencies can travel long distances and penetrate dense structures such as walls and tree cover, addressing a major technical hurdle previously faced by satellite-based ​mobile networks.

By pairing nationwide low-band airwaves with high-frequency space capacity, SpaceX is positioning Starlink Mobile to bypass conventional cell towers entirely and challenge the wireless oligopoly on both broad coverage and in-building reliability.

The deal raises the stakes for legacy carriers, ⁠transforming satellite direct-to-device connectivity from a supplementary safety feature for remote dead zones into a full-scale commercial rival capable of unseating terrestrial cellular networks.

Shares of T-Mobile US, Verizon ​and AT&T fell around 6% in extended trading. The three carriers formed a satellite-focused joint venture in May that some analysts believe is intended to respond to the threat from SpaceX.

"The incumbent ​wireless carriers have been vocal in expressing skepticism that SpaceX's network will ‌be able to match the quality of their networks," William Blair analysts said.

"We expect SpaceX to offer a very compelling Starlink broadband and Starlink Mobile bundle. The company may also include Grok ⁠in the package," referring to the AI chatbot developed by Musk's xAI.

The transaction, which involves acquiring 100% of Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, remains subject to Federal Communications Commission approval. Grain acquired the airwaves from T-Mobile earlier this year.

"We are going to see more investment, more ⁠opportunities for a range of providers, and America leading the world in next-gen technologies — to the benefit of consumers all across the country," FCC ​Chair Brendan Carr said in response to the deal between SpaceX and Grain.

Grain CEO David Grain said the deal has "the potential to change where and how Americans connect."

Most existing mobile handsets support the 800 MHz frequency band, eliminating the need for consumers to purchase proprietary satellite phones.

Verizon spokesman ‌Rich Young noted there were still hurdles after SpaceX's spectrum purchase. "This company can have tons of spectrum available, but if they do not have the network to use it, it doesn't ‌matter. It's just empty airwaves," Young said.

The FCC also approved Starlink Mobile's Gen2 constellation application this week, authorizing SpaceX to launch 15,000 satellites that ⁠are optimized for 2 GHz spectrum globally.

The new ‌orbital fleet will operate in very low ​Earth orbit, delivering expanded bandwidth and low-latency connections to standard handsets.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Ruchika Khanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar, Cynthia Osterman ‌and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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