Weekly Wrap: SpaceX opposes satellite spectrum auctions

The company’s vice-president for satellite policy, David Goldman, has cast doubt on whether the company will launch its second-generation satellite direct-to-device (D2D) service in Australia if the regulator, ACMA, proceeds with an auction of 2 GHz, also known as the S-band.

“Legislation should clarify that ACMA continues with administrative allocation as the exclusive approach for globally harmonised spectrum, consistent with international frameworks and past Australian precedent,” Goldman told a parliamentary committee.

SpaceX launched D2D in Australia in June 2025 using 4G spectrum leased from Telstra. The next generation of its D2D service will be markedly better, says the company, in part because it will use SpaceX’s own dedicated spectrum.

SpaceX acquired S-band spectrum from EchoStar in 2025 for US and International use. SpaceX plans to launch MSSMobile-satellite service (MSS) describes a… services using these frequencies in November 2027.

“ACMA… seems to be moving to auction the very spectrum we need to deliver the next-generation satellite service in an unprecedented move that would contradict how it treats all other satellite spectrum—and a move that no other regulator has taken to date,” stated Goldman.

There are precedents, however, for an auction of MSS spectrum in the 2 GHz band. Mexico and Saudi Arabia have both sold the same frequencies at auction. That’s only two countries, but it shows that ACMA’s proposal is not completely leftfield. In fact, it’s a logical course of action if demand for spectrum exceeds supply, which appears to be the case here.

And the contradiction does not really exist between how ACMA treats 2 GHz and other satellite bands, since there is an inherent difference.

Unlike higher parts of the spectrum band used by satellite such as C-band, Ku and Ka, the S-band is more suited to mobile services. Given the demand is for a broadband service used by numerous mobile terminals, exclusive access is required to reduce the risk of interference.

In contrast, higher bands are more suitable for satellite services that use fixed terminals. Such point-to-point deployments are easier to separate geographically and hence can share the spectrum band.

The S-band, and similarly the L-band, tend more to exclusivity and, if competition exists for the frequencies, then an auction is possible, whereas higher bands are more suited to a sharing regime, for which auctions are less suited.

Talking of competition, there is the issue of who holds the 2 GHz licence. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), a mobile network operator (MNO), beat four satellite bidders in the country’s auction. They were EchoStar, Omnispace and Salam in cooperation with Iridium, AST SpaceMobile and Airbus.

If a satellite operator holds the 2 GHz licence (assuming there is only one), then Australia’s MNOs can strike wholesale deals and supply end-users. But the country would then be dependent on a single satellite D2D provider for strategic infrastructure, which carries a potential risk.

If a mobile operator wins the 2 GHz licence, it would at least have the option to shop around among satellite operators if necessary.

What happens in Australia will be followed closely by other countries in the Asia-Pacific.

ACMA’s auction is currently scheduled for Q4 2026. It has been a long haul for the regulator. Replanning started back in 2019. There have been consultations (and further consultations) on issues such as allocation and technical design.

SpaceX has argued elsewhere against auctions of satellite spectrum. India is another example. Which is strange really for a company targeting a $2 trillion dollar valuation in a potential IPO this year. Such a rich company could be the leader in any sale of spectrum assets, if it chose to participate.

Here’s what else PolicyTracker has covered this week:

• European regulators’ group BERECBEREC stands for the Body of European Regu… has criticised the proposed Digital Networks Act, the implementation of which looks likely to be delayed
• T-Mobile has asked the US regulator to waive several rules so that its 850 MHz spectrum licences can be used for direct-to-device (D2D) services when they are sold to an investment firm
• Starlink is struggling to deploy D2D in Africa as regulators are still working out how to license services, protect mobile networks and handle ownership rules
• The proposed timeline for 3GPP3GPP stands for the Third Generation Partn… Release 21, which is the long‑awaited 6G release, has been updated following a 3GPP plenary meeting in Fukuoka, Japan
• The Greek regulator EETT has launched a new spectrum monitoring station that measures satellite signals to geolocate sources of interference primarily affecting satellites in geo-synchronous orbit (GSOObjects in the GSO, or Geosynchronous Orbi…).