- Anterix could move into satellite-enabled D2D, but like Grain Management, it would need FCC approval before putting its 900 MHz spectrum to work in that capacity
- The idea isn’t far-fetched: Anterix execs say adding a satellite layer to its utility-focused private networks is a “very logical” next step as D2D momentum builds
- In the meantime, Anterix is scaling its core 900 MHz business – adding new utility customers, expanding to full 10 MHz broadband deployments and growing its nationwide private network footprint
Grain Management is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to allow direct-to-device (D2D) services in 800 MHz ESMR spectrum. So what’s to hold Anterix back from using its deep reservoirs of 900 MHz for D2D?
Not much, except it too would need to get the green light from the FCC.
“It’s very logical to consider an evolution of our product to include satellite,” Anterix Chief Regulatory and Communications Officer Chris Guttman-McCabe told Fierce. “It’s very sensible with what’s happening in the satellite direct-to-device space for Anterix to be able to utilize its spectrum and provide that satellite component.”
It wouldn’t have to be a D2D offering that specifically targets Anterix’s core market, which is utilities, but “it could be,” he said.
Other critical infrastructure entities, like the oil and gas or pipeline industries, could be potential customers. “I think you begin to see a cohort of users who have a similar mission and mandate and satellite would enhance that,” he said.
That’s not to say there’s anything in the immediate pipeline. “There’s still a lot of thinking between here and there in terms of: Is this an evolution that makes sense? I think many of us at Anterix think it does. But then what would that product look like? We're a ways from having that locked up and with whom and things like that.”
Update: Lynk Global filed this application with the FCC seeking permission to use Anterix’s spectrum to conduct tests in seven U.S. markets for 12 months starting May 31, 2026.
Anterix is focused on utilities
For now, Anterix’s main focus is providing spectrum to utilities for their own private networks that are LTE-enabled and 5G-ready. About half of its customers use Ericsson gear and the other half use Nokia. But Anterix works with more than 150 companies, so it’s a pretty big ecosystem that it developed essentially from zero.
Anterix is the largest holder of 900 MHz licenses and it saw a big win in February when the FCC voted to enable broadband across the full 10 MHz of the 900 MHz band, expanding beyond the previous 6 MHz segment.
This week, the company announced a new customer, NorthWestern Energy, marking the first planned deployment of Anterix’s 10 MHz broadband configuration. Last week, they added Texas-New Mexico Power as a 900 MHz customer, bringing the total to five utilities in Texas that are using Anterix’s spectrum.
“Collectively, our customer [footprint] is significantly larger now than USCellular ever was from a footprint perspective. So there's real significant scale growing in these private networks, particularly when you aggregate them,” Guttman-McCabe said.
That rapid expansion didn’t happen in a vacuum – a regulatory shift helped reshape how the spectrum could be used.
The FCC in 2020 adopted rules that enable utilities to use 900 MHz spectrum, which was reserved for narrowband deployments, for broadband. That marked a big turning point for Anterix, which, led by folks like Nextel Communications co-founder Morgan O’Brien, spent years trying to get 900 MHz broadband enabled. O’Brien retired as executive chairman of the Anterix board in 2024.
One of the more interesting use cases that Anterix’s spectrum enables is a falling conductor protection (FCP) application developed by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE). It relies on low-latency broadband to “de-energize” broken power lines as they fall, eliminating the risk of wildfire caused by live wires hitting the ground.
“This gives utilities an incredible tool to remove electricity from those lines before they hit the ground and that only happens when you have a high-capacity, low-latency network that is actually present in those areas where there's just not a lot of coverage,” Guttman-McCabe said.
More than 900 MHz spectrum
Beyond spectrum, Anterix is branching out to other areas. The company contracted with Crown Castle to provide “great terms and conditions” for utilities to get access to tower sites. “It’s the scale that makes it compelling, to be quite honest, on both sides,” he said.
Another program, called CatalyX, provides SIM procurement and management. “It’s the same concept. We work with a very large, well-respected SIM provider and management entity and we turn around and offer that at scale and discount to our utility customers,” he said.
Nothing appears imminent on the D2D front, but Anterix is keeping its options open. If FCC policy and market demand align, it could bring more spectrum to the D2D space.
Editor's Note: This article was updated with information about Lynk Global's application to conduct tests with Anterix.