SpaceX and governments fight for control of valuable radio spectrum

On May 12, the FCC approved SpaceX’s bid to take control of EchoStar spectrum, clearing the way for a next-generation Starlink Direct-To-Cell network.

Radio-frequency spectrum is finite, and its value rises as demand grows for always-on connectivity. The International Telecommunication Union’s Radio Regulations govern space use of frequencies and orbits, and the rules are updated every four years at World Radiocommunication Conferences. WRC-23 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 20 to Dec. 15, 2023. Spectrum-management decisions can help control a satellite as well as enable communications and other space services.

Spectrum decisions can materially affect incumbent space-based services, including national security communications and positioning, navigation and timing. The same logic now shapes the market for direct-to-device broadband, where satellite operators need clean access to frequencies that can also be used by terrestrial networks without causing harmful interference. The FCC’s international-satellite-coordination process determines whether a planned satellite network, earth station or U.S. market-access request can use specific frequencies and what operating conditions are required to make coexistence work.

On Sept. 8, 2025, EchoStar agreed to sell its full portfolio of AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses to SpaceX for Starlink Direct-To-Cell. The FCC later approved the applications in GN Docket No. 25-302. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the approvals would help secure U.S. leadership in wireless and next-generation technology, including emerging direct-to-device offerings, and would help open roughly 115 megahertz of underused mid-band spectrum.

The deal drew political resistance. On Dec. 17, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Greg Casar wrote to the Department of Justice and the FCC raising concerns about the planned acquisitions by AT&T and SpaceX, warning that the AT&T deal would strengthen a major network carrier and that the SpaceX deal would reshape the market. The FCC order also required EchoStar to put $2.4 billion into a trust fund.

A 2026 ITU-R presentation put 2025 at a record year for space activity in the United States, with more than 3,700 satellites launched and more than 2,600 tons sent into orbit; China launched 371 satellites in 2025.