SpaceX Agreed to Buy Nationwide 800 MHz Spectrum After Thursday's Close — On Friday T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Lost $57.5 Billion of Market Value, and T-Mobile Had Sold That Same Spectrum in August for $2.9 Billion

After the close on Thursday, Oct 8, 2026, SpaceX agreed to buy Grain Management's nationwide license portfolio of up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band for its own mobile service, subject to FCC approval; the companies did not disclose a price, and The Wall Street Journal reported about $8 billion. On Friday, Oct 9, T-Mobile fell 13.27%, AT&T 9.81% and Verizon 8.75% (Verizon's worst day since July 2002, per CNBC), about $57.5 billion of combined market value at their latest reported share counts: T-Mobile $24.4 billion, Verizon $16.6 billion, AT&T $16.5 billion. T-Mobile had sold the same 800 MHz licenses to Grain for $2.9 billion in cash plus Grain's 600 MHz licenses, in a deal signed in May 2025 and closed on Aug 10, 2026; its 10-K says it may share in Grain's future proceeds from monetizing them. Tower owners rose on the expectation that SpaceX will need ground sites: Crown Castle 15.6%, American Tower 9.3%. SpaceX's own shares rose 1.2%.