EchoStar secures rights to spectrum it plans to sell to SpaceX

Musk space biz: 'Anyone else that wants to use the spectrum must coordinate with us first'

EchoStar says it has met the regulatory conditions to maintain the spectrum it is selling to Musk's rocketeers.

According to EchoStar, its subsidiary, EchoStar Global Australia, "achieved this by successfully completing the Bringing Back Into Use (BBIU) process for the company's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) SIRION-1 satellite filing as of October 1, 2025."

EchoStar Global Australia started the BBIU period following the launch of the Lyra-4 satellite and operating it from an altitude of 650km from July 3 to October 1, 2025.

"Completing the BBIU process means all other operators in overlapping frequencies must coordinate with EchoStar under SIRION-1."

The BBIU process [PDF] is a requirement for operators to maintain spectrum rights that might otherwise lapse. Its purpose is to stop operators from sitting on unused spectrum. It also means that holders can sell those rights to other companies.

Rocket Lab launched the satellite on June 28 on a mission named "Symphony In The Stars," and, at the time, the space biz said the deployment was for "a confidential commercial customer."

EchoStar agreed to sell its AWS-4 and H-block to SpaceX in September in a deal worth $17 billion. Meanwhile, SpaceX's VP of satellite policy, David Goldman, said, "It seems wonky, but this announcement is huge for Australians. @SpaceX will ultimately see @EchoStar's global S-band rights power its next-gen @Starlink Direct to Cell service."

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell also weighed in, saying, "Starlink Direct to Cell leveraging this spectrum is a game changer for connecting the world. So excited to work with telcos across the globe to get this capability into people's hands (literally)!!"

Tagging in the @DigitalEU account for the European Commission, Goldman added: "These ITU filings are critical to securing @Starlink's global spectrum rights for our next-gen direct-to-cell system to bring the fastest broadband from space to phones.

"These NGSO [non-geostationary orbit] rights, combined with @EchoStar's senior GSO ITU filings, ensure anyone else that wants to use the spectrum must coordinate with us first." ®