SpaceX seeks access to 80,000 U.S. cell sites to bolster mobile services
Key Facts
SpaceX is in talks to gain access to at least 80,000 cell sites in the United States, a development involving ground infrastructure for mobile services, according to the report dated October 22, 2026. The talks follow the company's agreement to buy a nationwide spectrum portfolio from Gريn Management, announced on October 8, adding cell sites to its moves in the telecommunications market. Reuters cited the Wall Street Journal, which quoted people familiar with the matter, as saying the expected consideration for Gريn's assets was about $8 billion in cash. Financial terms of the agreement were not officially disclosed, according to Reuters' report on the deal, with the reported valuation remaining attributed to the newspaper's report. According to Bloomberg, the spectrum SpaceX plans to buy from Gريn would allow it to deliver cellular service to devices inside buildings.
Before the Gريn agreement was announced, more than one company had expressed interest in buying its spectrum, according to Bloomberg's earlier coverage of the deal. The agency cited people familiar with the matter as saying SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile were among the companies that had expressed interest in acquiring the frequencies. SpaceX's subsequent agreement covered 100% of Gريn's nationwide portfolio in the 800 MHz band, according to Reuters. The proposed acquisition combines the purchase of the entire portfolio with its nationwide reach, according to the description of the agreement, while Bloomberg linked the use of its spectrum to the ability to provide service to phones inside buildings. The agency described that capability as allowing the company to "deliver cellular service to devices inside buildings," in its coverage of the purchase of spectrum designated for mobile service.
SpaceX's spectrum moves also build on an earlier agreement with EchoStar to buy spectrum licenses for the Starlink satellite network. When first announced in September 2025, the agreement was valued at about $17 billion, according to Reuters, before the agreements between the companies were amended. EchoStar's filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the first quarter of 2026 showed that total consideration had risen to about $20 billion. EchoStar said in the filing that "total consideration for the SpaceX transactions increased from $17 billion to approximately $20 billion," setting out the revised value of the arrangements. The EchoStar agreement also included a long-term commercial arrangement extending beyond the license sale to provide a communications service to Boost Mobile subscribers, according to the Associated Press. The arrangement gives those subscribers access to the next generation of Starlink's direct-to-cell service, according to the agency's description of the agreement.
The announcement of the Gريn agreement was followed by a sharp divergence between shares of mobile operators and tower companies in trading on October 9, 2026, according to Reuters. In afternoon trading, T-Mobile shares fell 13.2%, reaching their lowest level in more than 33 months. By contrast, shares of American Tower, Crown Castle and SBA Communications rose between 6.5% and 13.3%, bucking the telecommunications sector's direction during that session. Those moves occurred in the session following the spectrum deal's announcement on October 8, before the report on the cell-site talks dated October 22. Completion of the acquisition of Gريn's portfolio remains subject to Federal Communications Commission approval and customary closing conditions, according to the agreement's announcement.