SpaceX, Rivals Battle for $230 Billion Spectrum Rights as 2027 Auction Nears

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 1

SpaceX and rival telecom and satellite operators are scrambling to secure radio spectrum, the airwaves that carry wireless and space communications and increasingly function like scarce strategic real estate.
In the U.S., FCC licenses act as quasi-property rights: they can be bought, sold and leased, and USTelecom says the industry has spent more than $230 billion at auctions and $700 billion on networks.
That value has put phone and cable shares under pressure as investors fear SpaceX could win more spectrum in next year's auction and use it to link ordinary cellphones directly to satellites.
In orbit, the contest is also global: satellite frequencies are coordinated through the U.N.'s ITU, while China and other countries are pushing for more influence over who gets to use them.
The current first-come-first-served filing system has favored early U.S. applicants such as SpaceX, leaving later entrants to negotiate access and avoid interference with incumbents.