Musk to start 4th US cellular operator
October 9, 2026

By Chris Forrester



SpaceX is to become the fourth cellular operator in the US. SpaceX has bought Grain Management’s 800 MHz of terrestrial spectrum (which formerly traded as Sprint) and now will be an asset for Starlink mobile. The acquisition means that Starlink Mobile will be able to penetrate walls in buildings.

The deal is seismic for US consumers, although not quite yet as today’s handsets will need an improved chipset which will not happen for a year or two and SpaceX has also to start deployment of satellites that can handle communications with the new spectrum. Nevertheless, this is the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in the US.


Musk stated: “It will allow SpaceX to deliver high bandwidth connectivity directly from the satellites to the phones, but there are hardware changes that need to happen in the phone. You should be able to watch videos anywhere on your phone.”

The news came on the same day that KLM stated it would convert its main fleet to handle Starlink and American Airlines said they would extend Starlink to their complete fleet. American’s decision will extend the Starlink access for travellers from the already-announced 500 aircraft to more than 1,000. The KLM addition is the 49th airline to carry Starlink.

However, SpaceX holds no suitable satellites in orbit yet, with launches starting late in 2027, and full commercial nationwide service won’t arrive until 2035 at the earliest, suggest observers.

Also, the acquired bands can’t be used commercially until the EchoStar deal’s later stage closes, which is expected by November 30th, 2027. Half the new SpaceX constellation must be in orbit by October 7th, 2032, and all of it by October 7th, 2035.

SpaceX claims the network “will deliver 5G speeds of up to 150Mbps per user,” far faster than its current direct-to-cell satellites. But satellite beams share capacity across wide areas, so per-user speed under real load is unproven.

But SpaceX, in its statement on October 8th, described the news as “Building the world’s most advanced mobile network”. The purchase of Grain/Sprint must obtain FCC approval.