SpaceX 收购 800 MHz 频谱，Starlink Mobile 要做美国手机运营商
SpaceX Buys Spectrum to Make Starlink a U.S. Phone Carrier
SpaceX 在官网更新中宣布，已达成协议收购一套全美范围的 800 MHz 低频段频谱组合，最高为 14 MHz 成对频谱，卖方是数字基础设施投资机构 Grain Management（该组合由 Grain 于 8 月从 T-Mobile 收购），财务条款未披露，交易仍需 FCC 最终批准。低频段信号能穿墙、覆盖室内，可与 Starlink Mobile 已有的 2 GHz 中频段频谱（来自此前与 EchoStar 的频谱协议，主打高带宽容量）互补。本周 FCC 还批准了 Starlink Mobile 第二代星座，授权发射 15,000 颗针对 2 GHz 优化的卫星，SpaceX 称其带宽将达现硬件的 100 倍以上。SpaceX 称这笔交易将为 Starlink Mobile 成为美国主要移动运营商铺路。
SpaceX is taking a big step toward becoming a mobile carrier in the U.S. In an update on its website, SpaceX announced an agreement to acquire a nationwide portfolio of up to 14 MHz of paired low-band spectrum in the 800 MHz range. SpaceX says the deal will “pave the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major mobile carrier in the U.S.”
The licenses come from Grain Management, a digital infrastructure investment firm, which acquired the 800 MHz portfolio from T-Mobile in August. Financial terms for the deal weren’t disclosed.
Why Low-Band Spectrum Matters for Starlink Mobile
Until now, Starlink has offered satellite connectivity to smartphones through existing carriers like T-Mobile. With Starlink Mobile, SpaceX would become a carrier itself, offering service directly to phones across the U.S. and eventually around the world.
Starlink Mobile already has global 2 GHz mid-band spectrum for high-bandwidth capacity, thanks to SpaceX’s earlier spectrum agreements with EchoStar. The new 800 MHz spectrum adds a coverage layer, letting the signal pass through walls and other obstacles so phones stay connected inside buildings. As SpaceX points out, “most existing mobile devices already support this underused band.”
Once the FCC gives final approval for the deal, SpaceX plans to combine its satellite-to-mobile constellation with an advanced ground network. SpaceX says that would make Starlink Mobile the first network operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum, covering indoors, outdoors, and cellular dead zones in one network.
FCC Approves 15,000 Next-Gen Satellites
SpaceX also got a regulatory win this week. The FCC approved Starlink Mobile’s Gen 2 constellation, authorizing SpaceX to launch 15,000 satellites optimized for 2 GHz spectrum worldwide. SpaceX says the second-generation satellites will deliver more than 100 times the bandwidth of the current hardware, bringing high-speed service to unmodified phones anywhere. The FCC also granted a conditional U.S. waiver of satellite power limits and approved the backhaul bands Starlink’s V3 broadband satellites use.
A New Rival for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile
Wall Street took notice. Shares of T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T each fell more than 5% in extended trading after the announcement.
Starlink was SpaceX’s largest revenue source when it went public earlier this summer, and its profitability has only grown since. A carrier business could add a new revenue stream on top of that. The spectrum deal still needs FCC approval, but SpaceX now has the satellites, spectrum, and regulatory momentum to start building Starlink Mobile into a real alternative to the big three carriers.
来源：MyTesla 编辑台 · notateslaapp.com