Business & Markets
SpaceX agrees to buy Grain's nationwide 800 MHz spectrum
The proposed purchase would add a low-band layer to Starlink Mobile, but the license transfer is still pending regulatory approval.
Executive summary
- The agreement: SpaceX agreed to acquire Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz spectrum portfolio, which the companies describe as up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum. Closing requires Federal Communications Commission approval and other conditions.[1][2][3]
- Reported price: Reuters reported that The Wall Street Journal put the cash price at about $8 billion, citing people familiar with the matter. SpaceX and Grain did not disclose terms in their announcements, so the figure is reported rather than company-confirmed.[3][2]
- What remains pending: SpaceX says the spectrum would pair with its satellites and a terrestrial network for Starlink Mobile. The companies have not announced a service launch date, and the transfer has not received final FCC approval.[1][2]
SpaceX agreed to acquire Grain Management's nationwide portfolio of 800 MHz spectrum licenses, a move that could give its Starlink Mobile business access to a low-band layer for phone connectivity. Grain said the agreement covers its entire portfolio. SpaceX described it as up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum. The transfer still needs FCC approval and other closing conditions, the companies said.[2][1][3]
Reuters reported that The Wall Street Journal valued the cash payment at about $8 billion, citing people familiar with the matter. Neither company disclosed a purchase price in its announcement. The amount is therefore a reported estimate, not a term confirmed by SpaceX or Grain.[3][2]
SpaceX says the 800 MHz licenses would complement the spectrum already used for Starlink Mobile and support a system combining its satellite-to-phone constellation with terrestrial infrastructure. The company says the lower-frequency band could extend signal coverage indoors and around obstacles. Those are the proposed network's intended capabilities, not a description of a service enabled by this agreement today.[1][3]
The announcement does not give a launch timetable, retail pricing or device requirements for a future service using these licenses. SpaceX has framed the purchase as part of its mobile-network plans, but the agreement alone does not authorize the transfer or show when customers could use a ground-and-satellite service.[1][2][3]
Grain said it completed its acquisition of the nationwide 800 MHz portfolio from T-Mobile in August 2026. In July, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau approved T-Mobile's assignment of certain 800 MHz licenses to Grain and Grain's assignment of certain 600 MHz licenses to T-Mobile. The proposed SpaceX transaction is a separate transfer that still requires the commission's consent.[2][4]