SpaceX’s Latest Spectrum Move Positions Starlink for Cellular Expansion
Just two months after finalizing a massive $17 billion spectrum deal, SpaceX is expanding again—this time by purchasing additional radio frequencies from EchoStar, the parent company of Boost Mobile.
The AWS-3 license includes access to the 1695–1710 MHz spectrum in the U.S., which supports data uploads. The move comes as a surprise, especially since Verizon had reportedly been negotiating with EchoStar for the same spectrum to bolster its 5G network, according to Bloomberg.
Instead, SpaceX secured the deal, adding to its earlier $17 billion purchase in September that granted the company exclusive rights to use EchoStar’s 2000–2020 MHz, 2180–2200 MHz, 1915–1920 MHz, and 1995–2000 MHz bands both domestically and internationally.
While SpaceX has yet to issue an official statement, EchoStar indicated that the new and previously acquired frequencies will be used to expand SpaceX’s Starlink cellular network, a satellite-powered system designed to deliver phone connectivity directly from space.
Starlink’s mobile service is currently available through T-Mobile, but EchoStar’s Boost Mobile is expected to join soon under the broader partnership announced in September. These additional airwaves are expected to significantly improve Starlink’s capacity, potentially allowing performance on par with 4G LTE. Elon Musk has even hinted that SpaceX may one day become a standalone global carrier, competing directly with traditional mobile networks.
However, Musk noted that it could take about two years before existing smartphones can fully utilize EchoStar’s radio frequencies, as chipsets must be modified to support them.
In contrast, the newly acquired AWS-3 spectrum (1695–1710 MHz) has an advantage—some newer smartphones, including Apple’s latest iPhones, already support it under the n70 band, as satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar observed.
According to EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen, this acquisition gives SpaceX “a great deal of flexibility” to combine uplink and downlink operations and adapt its spectrum use in the future.
