T-Mobile CTO warns SpaceX: spectrum alone won't build a network

T-Mobile CTO John Saw said SpaceX's ~$8bn purchase of Grain Management's 800MHz spectrum and approval for 15,000 D2D satellites won't replace a terrestrial network. He noted SpaceX holds about 80MHz versus T-Mobile's nearly 400MHz, and said direct-to-cell will complement, not replace, 5G-Advanced.

• SpaceX is buying Grain Management's 800MHz portfolio in a deal estimated at $8bn
• SpaceX holds about 80MHz of spectrum versus nearly 400MHz for T-Mobile
• SpaceX won approval to deploy 15,000 D2D satellites for Starlink Mobile
• T-Mobile formed a D2D spectrum-pooling JV with AT&T and Verizon