{"id":2842,"date":"2025-09-09T12:11:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T12:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/menamagazine.com\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2025-09-09T12:11:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T12:11:49","slug":"spacex-snaps-up-echostar-spectrum-for-17b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themena.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/spacex-snaps-up-echostar-spectrum-for-17b\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX snaps up EchoStar spectrum for $17B"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SpaceX plans to deploy the new airwaves for its direct-to-cell service, designed to provide broadband-speed satellite connectivity directly to ordinary smartphones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SpaceX\u2019s $17B spectrum buy reshapes telecom competition \u2013<\/strong> The EchoStar deal positions Starlink as a disruptive force in U.S. mobile markets, rattling AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile US shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink performance is improving but uneven<\/strong> \u2013<\/strong> Ookla data shows strong downloads but weak uploads, while Starlink\u2019s own metrics highlight near-terrestrial speeds, growing capacity, and expanding satellite coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulatory stakes are high<\/strong> \u2014 The FCC\u2019s push to put idle spectrum to use and ensure fair competition will determine whether SpaceX\u2019s expansion benefits consumers or entrenches new imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX will acquire EchoStar\u2019s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses in a $17 billion transaction that combines up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock. As part of the agreement, SpaceX will also cover about $2 billion in EchoStar\u2019s debt interest through November 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deal immediately rippled across Wall Street. T-Mobile US shares fell 5% on Monday, while AT&T and Verizon each dropped 4%, reflecting investor concern that SpaceX\u2019s expanding Starlink network could intensify competition in the U.S. telecom sector. EchoStar stock, by contrast, surged more than 20% in early trading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, however, Craig Moffett, analyst at MoffettNathanson, said<\/a> <\/strong>T-Mobile US will likely benefit from the new situation. \u201cT-Mobile\u2019s pre-existing agreement with Starlink to provide D2D (direct-to-device) service in remote areas was already arguably advantaged versus Verizon and AT&T\u2019s partnership with AST,\u201d he wrote in a report. \u201cNow it will be dramatically more so. Verizon and AT&T will be commensurately disadvantaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SpaceX plans to deploy the new airwaves for its next-generation direct-to-cell service, which was\u00a0first launched last year\u00a0and is designed to provide broadband-speed satellite connectivity directly to ordinary smartphones \u2014 bypassing traditional carrier infrastructure. The company has also struck a long-term commercial agreement enabling Boost Mobile customers to access Starlink service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SpaceX plans to deploy the new airwaves for its direct-to-cell service, designed to provide broadband-speed satellite connectivity directly to ordinary smartphones SpaceX\u2019s $17B spectrum buy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,4,36],"tags":[152,153],"class_list":["post-2842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-international","category-technology","tag-echostar-spectrum","tag-spacex"],"yoast_head":"\nSpaceX snaps up EchoStar spectrum for $17B - The MENA News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SpaceX plans to deploy new airwaves direct-to-cell service, to provide broadband-speed satellite connectivity directly to ordinary smartphones\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/themena.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/spacex-snaps-up-echostar-spectrum-for-17b\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SpaceX snaps up EchoStar spectrum for $17B - 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