"Dish parent company EchoStar is selling wireless spectrum licenses to SpaceX for around $17 billion, the companies announced on Monday. SpaceX says it will use the spectrum to create the "next generation" of Starlink's cellular satellite service, which customers of the EchoStar-owned Boost Mobile will gain access to as part of the deal. According to EchoStar, this deal, along with the previously announced $23 billion sale of 5G spectrum to AT&T, is expected to resolve an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission."
"In May, FCC Chair Brendan Carr opened a probe into EchoStar's 5G expansion after receiving a complaint from SpaceX, which claimed the company "barely uses" its spectrum for satellite connectivity. EchoStar had originally planned to use its AWS-4 (2GHz) spectrum band to enable direct-to-device satellite cell service, but this sale puts an end to that goal. In the press release, EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan said the deal will allow SpaceX "to realize the direct-to-cell vision in a more innovative, economical and faster way for consumers worldwide.""
EchoStar is selling wireless spectrum licenses to SpaceX for around $17 billion. SpaceX will use the spectrum to build the next generation of Starlink's cellular satellite service, and Boost Mobile customers owned by EchoStar will gain access under the deal. EchoStar says the $17 billion transaction, combined with a previously announced $23 billion sale of 5G spectrum to AT&T, is expected to resolve an FCC investigation. The FCC probe began after a SpaceX complaint alleging EchoStar barely uses its spectrum for satellite connectivity. EchoStar had planned to use the AWS-4 (2GHz) band for direct-to-device service, but the sale ends that plan.
Read at The Verge
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