SpaceX agrees to buy nationwide 800 MHz spectrum for Starlink Mobile

Fourteen megahertz.

SpaceX agreed to buy Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, a low-band layer it says would help Starlink Mobile reach phones inside buildings.

Grain said the sale covers 100 percent of the portfolio and still needs FCC approval. It did not disclose a price. Grain acquired the licenses from T-Mobile in August in exchange for cash and its 600 MHz spectrum.

SpaceX plans to combine the licenses with its 2 GHz spectrum and satellite and terrestrial deployment. Most existing phones already support the band, it said.

A separate FCC order issued October 6 authorized a 15,000-satellite direct-to-device constellation, partly approving SpaceX's application. The spectrum purchase has not closed.