NEWS: SpaceX is buying a spectrum company to get more airwaves SpaceX has a subsidiary called Starlink Spectrum Holdings. It is buying a company called Tristar License Group outright, every share of it. What it wants is what Tristar owns. Three FCC licences for radio spectrum at 1695 to 1710 MHz. Uplink only, meaning phone to tower, not tower to phone. The licences cover 62 counties across eight states, about 4% of the US population. The deal sits at the FCC under docket 26-187. The public notice is DA 26-747, released 17 July. SpaceX asks for three things beyond the transfer itself. Renew the licences. Push the deadline for actually building ground service out to July 2027. And permanently waive the terrestrial coverage requirements, offering satellite service obligations instead. That last one is the interesting part. This spectrum comes with a duty to build networks on the ground. SpaceX wants to keep the licences and drop the duty. Petitions to deny were due 17 August. Oppositions close 31 August. Replies 10 September. One outlet has written this up. Light Reading reports Tristar paid about $6M for the three licences. Source: FCC Public Notice DA 26-747, WT Docket 26-187, released 17 July 2026. Price from Light Reading, 26 August 2026.