AT&T to Buy Spectrum Licenses from EchoStar for $23 Billion

AT&T agreed to buy certain wireless spectrum licenses for about $23 billion in cash from EchoStar after pressure from federal regulators on the satellite-and-wireless company. The Federal Communications Commission recently told EchoStar that it would investigate the company’s compliance with federal requirements to build a nationwide 5G network. EchoStar, which owns both the Dish Network pay-TV brand and Boost Mobile’s wireless service, said in June 2025 that the probe had frozen its ability to make decisions regarding its Boost business, including continued network build-out. EchoStar plans to use the proceeds from the transaction to retire debt and fund its continued operations and growth initiatives, said Chief Executive Hamid Akhavan. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026, AT&T said.