Friday, October 9, 2026 Independent US tech newsroom
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A Starlink satellite beaming a signal to a smartphone city skyline at dusk

Starlink Mobile Buys $8 Billion of Spectrum to Take on AT&T and Verizon

SpaceX is buying the airwaves it needs to become a real phone company. On Thursday, the company reached a definitive agreement with Grain Management to acquire a nationwide portfolio of 800 MHz low-band spectrum licenses for Starlink Mobile, its satellite-to-phone service. It covers up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum and still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The price tag explains the reaction. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that SpaceX will pay about $8 billion in cash. Neither SpaceX nor Grain confirmed the figure. ...

October 9, 2026 · 4 min · 807 words · 

SpaceX's $8B Spectrum Buy Sets Up Starlink Mobile to Challenge AT&T and Verizon

SpaceX agreed to acquire Grain Management’s nationwide portfolio of 800 MHz low-band spectrum licenses in a deal reportedly valued at about $8 billion, per Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, marking its biggest move yet into the wireless market. The purchase, which requires FCC approval, would let Starlink Mobile bypass conventional cell towers where possible and compete with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Sources: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2026. ...

October 9, 2026 · 1 min · 70 words · LexxWire Desk