SpaceX agreed on Thursday to acquire Grain Management’s nationwide 800 MHz licence portfolio covering up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to enhance indoor coverage for Starlink Mobile.
Spectrum and network plans
SpaceX said the acquisition of low-band spectrum complements its existing 2 GHz mid-band capacity for Starlink Mobile and is compatible with most current mobile phones. The company intends to integrate satellites and a terrestrial network, describing Starlink Mobile as the first operator to use satellite and terrestrial spectrum within a single system.
The FCC separately authorised SpaceX’s plan to deploy a second-generation Starlink Mobile constellation consisting of 15,000 satellites designed to provide 2 GHz service worldwide. SpaceX claims the new satellites would offer a bandwidth up to 100 times greater than the current fleet.
Regulatory and competitive context
The planned acquisition awaits FCC approval before completion. The FCC has also approved backhaul bands for SpaceX’s V3 broadband satellites to connect with the existing Starlink gateway network. The spectrum deal was announced by Grain Management and reported by Reuters.
In August, a contest for the same Grain licences between SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile became public. AST SpaceMobile had openly pursued the licences. The timing of SpaceX’s competitive shift depends on the FCC’s review of the acquisition, the terrestrial network rollout, and the launch schedule of the new satellite constellation.
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Source: SpaceX
