---
title: "FCC votes to end AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile's spectrum veto over Starlink Mobile"
description: "The October 29 vote advanced a plan opening 482 MHz to satellite-to-phone service and replacing regionwide carrier spectrum leases with coexistence certifications. Nothing was handed out yet; what moved is the price of a fourth US carrier, with published build estimates from $15 billion to $500 billion."
publisher: "The Inference"
section: "Policy & Labor"
published: 2026-10-30T16:12:28.789Z
modified: 2026-10-30T16:12:28.789Z
canonical: https://theinference.org/article/fcc-votes-to-end-at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-s-spectrum-veto-over-starlink-mobile
language: en
keywords: "FCC, SpaceX, Starlink, Spectrum, T Mobile, Wireless Carriers"
---

# FCC votes to end AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile's spectrum veto over Starlink Mobile

> The October 29 vote advanced a plan opening 482 MHz to satellite-to-phone service and replacing regionwide carrier spectrum leases with coexistence certifications. Nothing was handed out yet; what moved is the price of a fourth US carrier, with published build estimates from $15 billion to $500 billion.

The Federal Communications Commission voted on October 29 to advance a rulemaking that [would open 482 MHz of licensed carrier airwaves to satellite-to-phone service](https://www.teslarati.com/fcc-green-light-spacex-starlink-mobile-competitor-verizon-att/), raising the number of eligible Supplemental Coverage from Space bands from five to 13, and moved a companion plan to [auction 25 MHz](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/07/fcc-spectrum-auction-spacex-amazon.html) [1][7]. No spectrum changed hands: the adopted text is not public, and comments are due 60 days after Federal Register publication [1].

## The rule change ends the carriers' leasing veto

The item that matters is structural. Today a satellite operator must lease spectrum from every carrier holding co-channel licenses across an entire region; the draft replaces that with certification of coexistence agreements covering only the areas it serves, or ownership of the terrestrial licenses [1]. As drafted, the vote handed [SpaceX](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/spacex) no spectrum; it revoked the carriers' veto. That veto carried a price: SpaceX spent 2026 buying licenses rather than renting them, roughly $17 billion for [EchoStar](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/echostar)'s [AWS](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/amazon)-4 and H-block alone [1].

## The carriers want 290 MHz carved out

[AT&T](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/at-and-t), [Verizon](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/verizon) and T-Mobile, through the wireless trade group CTIA, asked the commission to strip the 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz bands, 290 MHz of the 482, saying about 300 million users depend on them, a request The Inference [reported before the vote](https://theinference.org/article/at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-ask-the-fcc-to-cut-290-mhz-from-spacex-s-satellite-plan-before-the-october-29-vote) [1][2]. [T-Mobile](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/t-mobile-us)'s filing warned satellite interference could [erase up to 96% of a cell site's uplink coverage and cut uplink speeds by 88 to 99%](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/spcx-stock-edges-lower-ahead-140132610.html) [2].

T-Mobile is also SpaceX's launch partner for first-generation Starlink Mobile, its chief executive [Srini Gopalan](https://theinference.org/markets/people/srini-gopalan) has ruled out a resale deal, calling satellite "a complementary product", and all three carriers agreed in principle in May to pool spectrum for their own satellite venture [1][3]. [SpaceX's filing the same week called T-Mobile's proposed 400-kilometre buffer around towers, floated for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, disenfranchising](https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-to-fcc-t-mobile-is-just-an-incumbent-out-to-stifle-satellite-services) [3].

## Satellites cleared, 80,000 tower sites in negotiation

The rest of the build is bought or cleared: 15,000 next-generation direct-to-cell satellites authorized on October 6, three Tristar AWS-3 licenses approved on October 21, Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz portfolio agreed this month [1][7]. Bloomberg reports SpaceX is [negotiating access to a minimum of 80,000 cell sites](https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/spacex-helps-give-towers-new-lease-life) [5][6]. [Third-quarter revenue was $14.58 billion](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001181412), up 161%, with net income of $4.4 billion and connectivity revenue of $5.25 billion, up 69% [4][9].

*Chart: **SpaceX's first profitable quarter came as Starlink Mobile's fate was decided** Column chart of SpaceX quarterly revenue and net income from Q1 2025 to Q3 2026, showing revenue of $14.58 billion and net income of $4.4 billion in Q3 2026.*

*SpaceX quarterly revenue and net income, US dollars in billions, from its SEC filings. Q4 2025 figures not reported. Source: SpaceX quarterly figures from its SEC filings, retrieved 30 October 2026. [10]*

*Chart: **SpaceX's 80,000-site target matches the incumbents' tower fleets** Bar chart comparing macro cell sites per US network: T-Mobile 82,000, SpaceX target 80,000, AT&T 75,000, Verizon 65,000.*

*Estimated macro cell sites per US network, thousands. Incumbent counts from a March 2026 report prepared for the Wireless Infrastructure Association; SpaceX from Bloomberg reporting of October 22, 2026. Sources: PCMag, Fierce Network. [5][6]*

## Two price tags and a 60-day clock

The open number is cost. [Verizon](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/verizon) chief executive Dan Schulman, who says he assumes SpaceX will execute flawlessly, prices a full terrestrial network at $300 to $500 billion over seven or eight years [5]. LightShed Partners puts an initial build at $10 to $15 billion, spectrum excluded, and writes that SpaceX "is not bluffing" [5].

MoffettNathanson analyst Nick Del Deo calls the 80,000-site plan a "head scratcher" that may be leverage for a wholesale deal no incumbent will sign [5]. Tower landlords have repriced anyway: [Crown Castle](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/crown-castle) rose more than 9% on the site report [5].

*Chart: **One network, two price tags: $10–15B versus $300–500B** Range chart of two published cost estimates for SpaceX's terrestrial wireless network: LightShed $10–15 billion, Verizon CEO $300–500 billion.*

*Published low and high ends of cost estimates for SpaceX's US terrestrial wireless build. LightShed's figure is an initial build excluding spectrum; Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's is a full buildout over seven or eight years. Source: Fierce Network, October 30, 2026. [5]*

The calendar decides the rest. Federal Register publication starts the 60-day clock, and final rules settle whether 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz survive [1]. SpaceX president [Gwynne Shotwell](https://theinference.org/markets/people/gwynne-shotwell) targets early 2028 for service on the company's own airwaves; Musk says two to three years [1][5].

Retail reads SPCX bearish, [down 5% in October and 11% year to date](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/stocktwits-space-race-monthly-spcx-053953296.html) [4], while [AST SpaceMobile](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/ast-spacemobile), which rents carriers' spectrum rather than replacing it, [rose as much as 6% on the vote](https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/asts-stock-gains-on-fcc-plan-to-expand-direct-to-phone-spectrum/cZUQDluR9RO) [8]. Musk has hinted at an analyst event within weeks [5]; the first buildout figure SpaceX puts on paper prices the option SPCX holders are already trading.

## Takeaway

The FCC voted to open 482 MHz to satellite-to-phone service and strip AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile of their regional lease veto; nothing was handed out, but the 60-day comment clock and the fate of 290 MHz now set the price of a fourth US carrier.

## Sources

1. [Teslarati, "FCC green lights SpaceX's move to a showdown with Verizon and AT&T", 29 October 2026](https://www.teslarati.com/fcc-green-light-spacex-starlink-mobile-competitor-verizon-att/)
2. [Stocktwits via Yahoo Finance, "SPCX Stock Edges Lower Ahead Of Key FCC Vote On 2 Expansion Proposals", 29 October 2026](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/spcx-stock-edges-lower-ahead-140132610.html)
3. [PCMag, "SpaceX to FCC: T-Mobile Is Just an Incumbent Out to Stifle Satellite Services", 29 October 2026](https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-to-fcc-t-mobile-is-just-an-incumbent-out-to-stifle-satellite-services)
4. [Stocktwits via Yahoo Finance, "Stocktwits Space Race Monthly: SPCX Holds Up Better Than ASTS, RKLB And PL In October", 30 October 2026](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/stocktwits-space-race-monthly-spcx-053953296.html)
5. [Fierce Network, "SpaceX helps give towers new lease on life", 30 October 2026](https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/spacex-helps-give-towers-new-lease-life)
6. [PCMag, "Report: SpaceX Wants 80,000 Cell Sites for Starlink Mobile", 23 October 2026](https://www.pcmag.com/news/report-spacex-wants-80000-cell-sites-for-starlink-mobile)
7. [CNBC, "FCC to vote on auctioning 25MHz of 'prime spectrum' in move that could benefit Amazon, SpaceX", 7 October 2026](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/07/fcc-spectrum-auction-spacex-amazon.html)
8. [Stocktwits, "ASTS Stock Gains On FCC Plan To Expand Direct-To-Phone Spectrum", 29 October 2026](https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/asts-stock-gains-on-fcc-plan-to-expand-direct-to-phone-spectrum/cZUQDluR9RO)
9. [SpaceX quarterly figures from its SEC filings, retrieved 30 October 2026](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001181412)
10. [SpaceX, quarterly figures from its SEC filings, retrieved 30 October 2026](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001181412)


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FCC votes to end AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile's spectrum veto over Starlink Mobile — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/fcc-votes-to-end-at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-s-spectrum-veto-over-starlink-mobile