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.
