# SpaceX-Grain Management 800 MHz Spectrum Acquisition On October 8, 2026, [[SpaceX]] announced a definitive agreement to buy a nationwide portfolio of low-band spectrum from [[Grain Management]]: up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band, to support [[Starlink]]'s direct-to-cell mobile service. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, put the price at about **$8 billion in cash**. The deal needs approval from the [[FCC]]. ## Deal Mechanics - **Asset:** up to 14 MHz of paired, nationwide 800 MHz spectrum. - **Price:** about $8B in cash, per the Wall Street Journal. Neither company has disclosed the price in public reporting reviewed here. - **Approvals:** FCC sign-off on the licence transfer, plus customary closing conditions. ## Context Two days earlier, on October 6, the FCC granted SpaceX authority to launch and operate up to 15,000 next-generation direct-to-device satellites using spectrum it had acquired from EchoStar, plus a waiver allowing it to offer service without leasing spectrum from a terrestrial carrier. The Grain purchase adds low-band airwaves on top of that licence. Shares of [[AT&T]], [[Verizon]] and T-Mobile fell on the news. ## Significance This is the second large spectrum purchase in SpaceX's move toward operating as a national mobile carrier. It also puts a dated regulatory decision in front of an FCC chaired by [[Brendan Carr]], which has approved each of SpaceX's recent Starlink requests. See [[Defense Tech Conflicts of Interest]] for the wider pattern of Musk companies before federal regulators. ## Open questions - Confirmed price and terms (SpaceX 8-K or release). - Whether AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile file petitions to deny at the FCC. ## See Also - [[SpaceX]] - [[Starlink]] - [[Grain Management]] - [[FCC]] - [[SpaceX Watch Log]] - [[SpaceX Events]]