SpaceX has acquired a portfolio of low-band spectrum licenses, a move the company says will pave the way for its Starlink Mobile service to become a major U.S. carrier. Once the Federal Communications Commission signs off on the deal, SpaceX plans to deploy a new architecture that combines its satellite-to-mobile constellation with a terrestrial mobile network, directly competing with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
The licenses include up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band, which SpaceX says will allow Starlink Mobile’s signal to penetrate through walls and buildings. Previously, SpaceX acquired 2GHz spectrum from EchoStar as part of efforts to bolster its direct-to-device service.
The FCC has also approved plans to deploy 15,000 V2 Starlink Mobile satellites that will offer more than 100 times the bandwidth than the current generation, according to SpaceX.
With the new low-band spectrum and the Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can now become the first network operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum, providing Americans with reliable service indoors, outdoors, in cellular dead zones, and everywhere in between.