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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an official Public Notice on Tuesday confirming that it had accepted Space Exploration Technologies Corp.‘s (NASDAQ:SPCX) application seeking approval for the transfer of 800 MHz spectrum licenses from Grain Management LLC to Starlink.

SpaceX Seeks Approval For 546 Spectrum Licenses

The transaction involves 546 paired 800 MHz spectrum licenses covering frequencies across 817–824 MHz and 862–869 MHz.

The holdings range up to 14 MHz of bandwidth across 3,224 counties, representing approximately 100% of the U.S. population throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the filing said.

The original transfer applications were submitted to the Commission on October 9, 2026. The FCC opened a formal pleading cycle, setting the deadline for Petitions to Deny on December 1, 2026, Oppositions on December 8, 2026, and Replies to Oppositions on December 15, 2026.

The public notice states that acceptance of the filing does not represent final approval of the proposed transaction. If granted, any existing construction and operational commitments attached to the spectrum licenses under prior Commission orders will carry over to SpaceX upon closing.

SpaceX Grapples With Opposition from Traditional Telcos

The acceptance of the application comes as Elon Musk’s plans for a satellite-based cellular service are taking shape. SpaceX recently announced a deal with chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) to utilize Dragonwing infrastructure to power the Starlink mobile service.

Over the weekend, the billionaire shared that he was "excited" to collaborate with Qualcomm to provide 5G network coverage starting in 2027 through Starlink.

However, traditional telecom companies like Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), T-Mobile US Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) have opposed SpaceX expanding into the cellular service sector.

AST SpaceMobile’s Goal

The news comes as AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) outlined plans to expand its satellite constellation through a combination of third-party launch providers and its own reusable rocket.

CEO Abel Avellan said the company has secured launch agreements covering more than 100 BlueBird satellites to be deployed during 2027 and 2028, with SpaceX and Blue Origin among the providers.

AST also announced Blacklift, its proprietary 20-ton reusable rocket, with operations targeted to begin in late 2028.

Separately, the company’s J-LEO agreement with Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and partner Rakuten features approximately $1 billion in non-dilutive funding for satellite manufacturing and launches.

Price Action: SPCX shares were up 2.34% to $146.44 during pre-market trading on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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