The low-band licenses SpaceX agreed to buy on October 8 are Sprint's old Nextel block, which T-Mobile was forced to sell after the Sprint merger. Gupta's point is the physics: a 2 GHz satellite signal stops at the first wall, 800 MHz gets indoors and most phones already support it, which is why the carriers repriced the next day as if a fourth network had arrived. The deal history and prices are his summary, not a filing.
T-Mobile spent five years trying to get rid of the exact spectrum Elon just called "the last critical piece" of complete phone coverage in America. This 800 MHz block is Sprint's old Nextel spectrum, the stuff that powered push-to-talk walkie-talkie phones in 2004. The DOJ
SpaceX · (@SpaceX) · 2026-10-08
We announced an agreement to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum license portfolio that will pave the way for @Starlink to become a major mobile carrier in the US.
With this new spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can ensure Americans have access to high-speed mobile broadband no matter where they are → http://spacex.com/updates#starlink-mobile-spectrum…
The low-band licenses SpaceX agreed to buy on October 8 are Sprint's old Nextel block, which T-Mobile was forced to sell after the Sprint merger. Gupta's point is the physics: a 2 GHz satellite signal stops at the first wall, 800 MHz gets indoors and most phones already support it, which is why the carriers repriced the next day as if a fourth network had arrived. The deal history and prices are his summary, not a filing.
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