Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
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Title: SpaceX acquires $2.6 billion more in spectrum licenses from EchoStar

Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:02:33 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/mobile/spacex-acquir...

SpaceX is acquiring more spectrum licenses from EchoStar in exchange for
about $2.6 billion worth of shares in Elon Musk's aerospace company. The
transaction is an expansion of the $17 billion deal struck between the
companies in September. SpaceX had previously said it would use these
licenses for its Starlink satellites as it works to build out the network's
5G connectivity.

The AWS-3 spectrum licenses changing hands include frequencies used in the US
for commercial wireless services such as mobile and satellite communications.
The distribution and use of spectrum are overseen by the federal government,
which also lays out requirements for the use and development of spectrum for
the benefit of consumers.

EchoStar had been facing pressure from the FCC to either use its substantial
spectrum stockpile or seek divestment. This deal encompasses all of
EchoStars' remaining unpaired AWS-3 spectrum holdings. Earlier this year, the
company sold $23 billion worth of licenses to AT&T in addition to its deals
with SpaceX. The FCC ended its investigation into EchoStar after these sales.
TodayΓÇÖs deal is pending regulatory approval and no precise closing date was
shared.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/spacex-acquir...
licenses-from-echostar-170233413.html?src=rss

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