Airwaves a Wireless Carrier Sold in August Are Now Part of a Satellite Operator's Mobile Plans

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- Fly on Wall Street News Commentary - Connecting ordinary phones to satellites is turning into a contest over airwaves. During October, SpaceX said federal regulators approved its next-generation Starlink Mobile constellation, agreed to buy a nationwide block of 800 MHz licenses that T-Mobile sold earlier this year, and reported its third-quarter results, while AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile reported their own quarters between October 21 and October 28. Active Companies from around the markets with current developments this week include: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX), T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM).

In an October 8 update, SpaceX said it had agreed to acquire a nationwide portfolio of low-band licenses covering up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band. By SpaceX's account, its global 2 GHz mid-band spectrum will carry high-bandwidth capacity in the United States, and the new low-band airwaves will add a coverage layer so the Starlink Mobile signal can penetrate obstacles like walls and serve customers' devices inside buildings; the company added that the band is already supported by most existing mobile devices. The same update said the Federal Communications Commission approved the Starlink Mobile Gen2 constellation application, authorizing SpaceX to launch 15,000 satellites optimized for 2 GHz spectrum globally. The FCC's Authorization and Order, adopted and released October 6 by its Space Bureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, is marked granted in part and deferred in part, with conditions; among the deferred items is SpaceX's proposed use of the 2020-2025 MHz band in the United States. The update does not state a purchase price for the licenses, and SpaceX's third-quarter release says the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions.

The licenses came from T-Mobile. According to T-Mobile's quarterly report filed October 28, the carrier completed the sale of its 800 MHz spectrum licenses to affiliates of Grain Management, LLC on August 10, 2026, receiving $2.9 billion in cash plus Grain's 600 MHz spectrum licenses, valued at $690 million, for total consideration of $3.6 billion. Under the deal, T-Mobile is entitled to a 50% share of future proceeds from Grain transactions that monetize the 800 MHz licenses, above Grain's invested capital, certain expenses and a specified return on its investment. The filing states that Grain signed a purchase and sale agreement for those licenses with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. on October 8, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, and that T-Mobile has not recognized an associated gain for this potential additional consideration.

Carrier shares fell sharply the next trading day. On Friday, October 9, T-Mobile closed at $148.58, down 13.27% from its October 8 close of $171.31. Verizon closed at $41.65 and AT&T at $22.18 on a day both stocks went ex-dividend; adjusted for those dividends, the declines were 8.75% and 9.81%. SpaceX rose 1.25% to $162.57. The three carriers already have a joint venture of their own aimed at satellite service: the same T-Mobile filing says it was formed with AT&T and Verizon on September 14 to pool certain spectrum resources, adding capacity and helping satellite providers reach more customers on a single unified platform, with the goal of ending wireless dead zones across the U.S., rural areas included. Last Friday, October 30, T-Mobile closed at $156.44, up 6.21% on the day, and SpaceX closed at $134.72, down 6.37%.

Sessions like October 9, when three carrier stocks each dropped more than 8%, show why it helps to read the chart as well as the headline. The free Knowledge is Power guide from Stock Preachers, available at FlyonWallStreet.com, walks through how to line up news like this with what price and volume are showing.

In other industry developments and happenings in the market this week include:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX)

SpaceX reported on October 20 third-quarter revenues of $14.6 billion, up 161% from $5.6 billion, net income of $4.4 billion compared with a net loss of $1.1 billion a year earlier, and Adjusted EBITDA of $8.8 billion. Connectivity revenues were $5.2 billion, up 69% year-over-year, and the company reached 13.6 million Starlink consumer subscribers as of September 30, 2026, up 1.6 million sequentially. The release also highlights the company's first revenue-generating Starship mission, which delivered 26 Starlink V3 satellites to its broadband constellation, and lists the 800 MHz agreement as a step to advance its Starlink Mobile strategy.

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS)

T-Mobile reported on October 28 third-quarter service revenues of $19.4 billion, up 6% year-over-year, net income of $3.5 billion, up 27%, and diluted earnings per share of $3.22, up 34%. Postpaid net account additions were 274 thousand, bringing total postpaid accounts to 35.0 million, and postpaid average revenue per account grew 4% to $155.73. The company raised its guidance at the midpoint for Core Adjusted EBITDA, which it expects between $37.35 billion and $37.45 billion, and for Adjusted Free Cash Flow, now expected between $18.7 billion and $18.8 billion.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ)

Verizon reported on October 26 third-quarter postpaid phone net additions of 406,000, which it called its strongest third-quarter performance in five years, along with 137,000 postpaid net account additions. Mobility and broadband service revenue of $23.5 billion grew 2.9% year-over-year, and the company delivered 314,000 broadband net additions, including 159,000 fixed wireless access and 155,000 fiber. Verizon raised full-year 2026 guidance for key metrics for the third consecutive quarter, now calling for 1.1 million to 1.2 million postpaid phone net additions, and signed an agreement valued at $2.0+ billion with AWS to scale distributed compute for agentic and generative AI workloads.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)

AT&T reported on October 21 third-quarter revenues of $32.3 billion, up 5.3% year over year, with 379,000 postpaid phone net adds, postpaid phone churn of 0.92%, and 769,000 Advanced Connectivity internet net adds, a record quarter, including 442,000 fiber and 327,000 fixed wireless. Total debt was $159.6 billion and net debt was $149.8 billion at quarter end, both reflecting a sequential increase related to the closing of the EchoStar spectrum transaction. AT&T agreed on October 13 to sell its Mexico wireless business, applied held-for-sale accounting as of September 30 and recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $2.6 billion that did not affect third-quarter segment results, and it increased its outlook for 2026 adjusted EPS, which it now expects in the $2.40 range.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM)

Iridium reported on October 20 third-quarter total revenue of $245.7 million, up 8%, and net income of $106.9 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, an increase the company attributed primarily to a $103.9 million gain related to its acquisition of Aireon, completed on July 2. Total billable subscribers reached 2,696,000, up 6% year-over-year and led by commercial Internet of Things growth. Stockholders approved the pending acquisition of Iridium by Rocket Lab Corporation on September 24, with completion expected by mid-2027, subject to remaining regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The company says it is advancing direct-to-device communications based on open standards, and its board plans to raise the quarterly dividend to $0.16 per share starting with the fourth quarter 2026 dividend.

With the 800 MHz transaction still subject to regulatory approval and expected to close in the first half of 2027, satellite and carrier stocks have more filings and decisions ahead. Learn to read the setups around them with the free Stock Preachers guide, plus The Roadmap market reports, at FlyonWallStreet.com.

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This article is independent news commentary. Fly On Wall Street is wholly owned and operated by Market Equities Limited ("MEL"), a company incorporated under the laws of Ireland. MEL has not been paid by any company mentioned in this article. MEL and its owners, operators, directors, and affiliates do not currently own any shares of the companies mentioned in this article, but reserve the right to, and will, buy and sell shares of those companies at any time without further notice. Company results are as reported by the companies in releases furnished to the SEC between October 20 and October 28, 2026. Spectrum transaction details are drawn from SpaceX's October 8, 2026 update and its third-quarter release, and from T-Mobile's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026; the FCC grant is described from SpaceX's October 8, 2026 update and the FCC's Authorization and Order DA 26-1078 released October 6, 2026. Share prices are daily closing prices for October 8, October 9 and October 30, 2026 from stockanalysis.com history pages; the October 9 percentage changes for Verizon and AT&T are dividend-adjusted as shown there, with ex-dividend dates from stockanalysis.com dividend pages, and pending transactions remain subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Information is drawn from company news releases and filings, government and industry data, published reporting and third-party data believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. Investing in securities carries risk, including the loss of some or all of your investment. This document is governed by the laws of Ireland.

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