On October 8, shares of major US telecommunications providers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile dropped by approximately 7%. Investors reacted to SpaceX's strategy to expand its Starlink Mobile network, which aims to provide connectivity in areas currently lacking traditional cellular coverage.
SpaceX recently acquired an 800 MHz low-frequency spectrum from Grain Management across the United States. These frequencies are designed to improve signal penetration inside buildings and address existing coverage gaps. The company plans to integrate this spectrum with its satellite infrastructure to offer nationwide mobile services.
The project received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to deploy up to 15,000 Starlink Mobile Gen2 satellites. This new architecture is expected to increase network capacity by more than 100 times. The system will support direct connections to standard smartphones, bypassing the need for specialized hardware.
