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SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile are positioning themselves to compete for roughly $6 billion worth of spectrum licenses in the 800 MHz band, covering most of the US and aimed at delivering satellite-based voice services directly to consumer phones.
The interest in 800 MHz licenses comes against the backdrop of T-Mobile’s recent sale of an 800 MHz spectrum portfolio to Grain Management, a deal valued between $2.9 billion and $3.6 billion. That transaction involved spectrum swaps that could create new openings for direct-to-device operators, and AST SpaceMobile has publicly welcomed it as a positive development for the sector.
AST SpaceMobile has already secured a foothold in the band. The FCC granted the company Special Temporary Authority in mid-August 2026 to test satellite connectivity on specific 800 MHz frequencies, covering the 817 to 824 MHz uplink range and 862 to 869 MHz downlink range.
SpaceX, meanwhile, has been on its own multibillion-dollar spectrum shopping spree. The company has completed deals reportedly totaling between $17 billion and $19.6 billion tied to EchoStar, targeting mid-band and S-band frequencies to bolster Starlink’s direct-to-device capabilities.
Direct-to-device, or D2D, connectivity is the idea that a satellite in low Earth orbit can communicate with an ordinary smartphone without requiring a specialized antenna, a separate satellite phone, or even cell tower infrastructure. Both SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile have already demonstrated it in real-world tests.
AST SpaceMobile has pursued a partner-driven model, working with major carriers including AT&T and Verizon to deliver connectivity through their existing customer relationships. The FCC’s 2026 regulatory framework has advanced rules allowing the company to use low-band frequencies in the 700 and 800 MHz ranges through these carrier partnerships, dismissing several spectrum challenges along the way.
SpaceX has taken a more vertically integrated approach, leveraging its Starlink constellation and its partnership with T-Mobile in the United States to build out D2D infrastructure.
The FCC in 2026 has generally moved to advance D2D frameworks, signaling that regulators see satellite-to-phone connectivity as a legitimate and desirable evolution of mobile telecommunications. Spectrum sharing between satellite operators and terrestrial carriers raises interference concerns that require careful coordination, and every megahertz of spectrum allocated to satellite services is a megahertz that traditional carriers may lose access to.
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