The US Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday, 7 October, that it plans to auction 25MHz of radio spectrum that SpaceX, Amazon and AST SpaceMobile have all told the agency they want, according to a PCMag report published by Yahoo Finance. The sale would cover the 1675-1695MHz and 2020-2025MHz bands and depends on a vote at the regulator’s 29 October meeting.
This report is based on two trade write-ups rather than on the text of the draft item. The FCC publishes its own announcements through its newsroom, and the underlying company filings are searchable in the agency’s Electronic Comment Filing System.
Key facts
- The plan covers 25MHz across 1675-1695MHz and 2020-2025MHz, described in the Yahoo Finance report as prime spectrum and by Tech Times as mid-band.
- Winners could use it for terrestrial networks, direct-to-device (D2D) operations that beam cellular signal from satellites, or a mix of both.
- The auction is one of three items going to the 29 October vote, Tech Times reports: an overhaul of D2D rules, the 25MHz auction, and cellular spectrum access for drones.
- Separately, the FCC says it will start a process examining whether to open a further 482MHz for satellite-to-phone services.
- SpaceX, Amazon and AST SpaceMobile had all previously told the FCC they were interested in the two bands, Yahoo Finance reports.
Why it matters
Tech Times explains that D2D lets compatible handsets connect through satellites instead of relying only on ground-based towers, so satellite and terrestrial networks can complement each other where towers are absent. It is the route by which the satellite internet industry is moving from dishes on roofs to ordinary phones in pockets, and the FCC says its rule changes are meant to encourage more flexible business arrangements between terrestrial, satellite and hybrid systems.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr framed the auction in those terms. “Our groundbreaking proposal would auction spectrum that could be used flexibly for 5G, D2D, or a combination of both,” Carr said in remarks carried by Yahoo Finance.
Mid-band frequencies are valuable to wireless operators because they balance coverage against capacity, Tech Times adds, and the outcome could shape which companies compete in the next stage of wireless connectivity.
The two bands have very different histories
The 1675-1695MHz slice has supported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US weather and oceans agency, and other meteorological purposes, Yahoo Finance reports. In March 2026, regulators said part of that band was suitable for commercial use.
The 2020-2025MHz block was allocated for non-Federal Fixed and Mobile use. In a September 2026 filing, Amazon, the US e-commerce and cloud company, said the spectrum had remained almost entirely unused in the United States for over two decades, with no federal incumbent occupying it and no commercial licensee holding rights to it, according to the same report.
What the companies told the regulator
Amazon urged the FCC to open the spectrum, arguing that upcoming satellite-to-phone services need more frequencies to improve coverage, Yahoo Finance reports. AST SpaceMobile, the satellite-to-phone company that counts AT&T and Verizon among its major investors, told the commission the bands should be auctioned for flexible use with full D2D eligibility to promote competition and strengthen US wireless leadership.
AST also said these frequencies can reach ordinary smartphones with compact antennas and complete uplinks at lower transmit power, making them suited to D2D on unmodified devices. SpaceX made a similar argument in its own September 2026 filing, saying the bands travel farther and sustain mobile connections relatively better than higher-frequency waves and carry enough bandwidth for messaging, voice and emerging data services, and that opening them would let multiple satellite and hybrid systems serve the entire US population. Neither report gives the precise dates of the two filings.
A further 482MHz, and spectrum for drones
The FCC did not name the bands in the 482MHz review, Yahoo Finance reports. A senior FCC official said in a press briefing that the commission wants to look at harnessing spectrum from existing bands already licensed for cellular or flexible use.
The third agenda item concerns drones. Tech Times says current rules bar them from the 800MHz cellular band and the FCC is proposing to change that, potentially opening roughly 50MHz for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Background: Starlink Mobile
SpaceX executives have framed Starlink Mobile as a rival to the big US mobile networks — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — by pairing satellites with ground-based wireless equipment called femtocells, Yahoo Finance reports. On 6 October, the day before the spectrum announcement, the FCC approved 15,000 next-generation satellites for Starlink Mobile and gave SpaceX a regulatory path to operate as a retail wireless carrier in the US.
Tech Times puts that approval at an altitude of 330 kilometres, on top of an existing constellation of more than 11,000 satellites. It also notes that SpaceX’s D2D work is separate from its proposed orbital data centre project, which is aimed at computing for artificial intelligence workloads rather than connectivity.
Both reports deal only with US spectrum policy. Neither addresses availability, pricing or licensing for Starlink in Africa, and the FCC’s announcement does not extend beyond the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 29 October vote put the spectrum on sale straight away?
No. What goes to the commissioners on 29 October is a proposal, and neither the Yahoo Finance nor the Tech Times report gives a date for actual bidding or for the rules that would govern it. Readers who want the primary documents rather than trade coverage can track the item and the company filings in the FCC’s own Electronic Comment Filing System at fcc.gov/ecfs.
Which mobile carrier can use Starlink’s satellite-to-phone service right now?
SpaceX’s first-generation Starlink Mobile system is exclusive to T-Mobile, which sells it under the name T-Satellite, Yahoo Finance reported. The same report says SpaceX plans to begin launching the next-generation satellites for that system late next year, so the exclusivity question is tied to hardware that is not in orbit yet.
What is Amazon’s connection to satellite-to-phone service?
Amazon is acquiring Globalstar, the satellite operator behind the iPhone’s satellite feature, according to the PCMag report published by Yahoo Finance. That report lists Amazon-Globalstar as one of the groups building satellite-to-phone services aimed at dead zones far from traditional cell towers.
Where does SpaceX’s existing direct-to-device spectrum come from?
Tech Times, citing Engadget, says SpaceX holds spectrum licences it acquired from EchoStar and has been developing ways to extend connectivity through its satellites. Tech Times describes SpaceX as already one of the most prominent players in the direct-to-device market, which is why it is bidding for more rather than starting from nothing.
Is the FCC tightening drone rules at the same time as opening spectrum for them?
Yes. Tech Times reports that over the past year the FCC has taken a stricter line on certain drones, raising concerns about devices containing foreign-made components and equipment using technologies such as LiDAR, even as it proposes to give drones access to cellular spectrum.
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