SpaceX Enters D2D Services with $8B Spectrum License Buy

Space Exploration and Technologies Corporation closed with gains on Friday following an announcement late Thursday of its acquisition of cellular spectrum licenses from Grain Management, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C.

According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX will pay about $8 billion in cash for the Grain Management’s portfolio of 800MHz licenses. The acquisition would facilitate a SpaceX expansion of its Starlink satellite communications system for distribution from cellular towers, a necessity in urban environments known as direct-to-device service, or “D2D.”