The Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s acquisition of three more spectrum licenses for Starlink Mobile, its direct-to-device satellite cellular service.
What the FCC approved
On October 21, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted the transfer of three unpaired AWS-3 licenses in the 1695 MHz uplink band from a subsidiary of Mississippi-based Tristar License Group to Starlink Spectrum Holdings, a SpaceX subsidiary (order DA 26-1129). The licenses cover 62 counties in eight states, including Massachusetts, North Carolina and Virginia, or about 4% of the U.S. population. The spectrum is uplink only, meaning it carries signals from phones up to satellites.
Why no auction
Tristar had planned to use the licenses with EchoStar’s 5G network, but EchoStar later dropped its carrier plans and struck spectrum deals with AT&T and SpaceX. Under normal rules, the unused licenses would have gone back to auction. The FCC instead granted SpaceX’s waiver requests, citing the public-interest benefit of putting idle spectrum to work and adding competition. It also replaced the licenses’ requirement to build ground towers with satellite uplink-speed milestones, which PCMag reports begin in November 2029.
Context
- The FCC says the deal brings SpaceX’s spectrum holdings in those areas to 75 MHz, still far below the roughly 300 MHz that AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon each control.
- Earlier this month, SpaceX also moved to buy low-band spectrum from Grain Management to help Starlink Mobile signals reach indoors.
- No petitions were filed opposing the transaction.
Why it matters
Each of these spectrum deals pushes SpaceX closer to running Starlink Mobile as its own carrier rather than relying only on partner networks, and the FCC keeps adapting terrestrial license rules for satellite service to make that possible.
Sources: PCMag and the FCC order announcement.