SpaceX has announced plans to establish Starlink Mobile as a major nationwide wireless carrier, challenging established telecom providers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile by pairing its direct-to-cell satellite fleet with a new ground-based network.
The company has secured a multi-year partnership with Qualcomm to deploy Dragonwing cellular equipment across tens of thousands of domestic 5G cell sites, with initial hardware rollouts scheduled to begin in 2027. SpaceX is also in talks with tower operator Crown Castle Inc. to secure access to at least 80,000 cell sites, which represents roughly half of the 158,500 operational wireless towers in the United States.
The physical tower rollout will be supported by low-band spectrum assets. SpaceX has agreed to acquire low-band licenses covering up to 14 MHz of paired frequencies in the 800 MHz band, pending regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission. SpaceX indicated that these frequencies will assist signals in passing through walls and buildings. The filing follows an earlier purchase of 2GHz spectrum from EchoStar, and reports indicate SpaceX has explored a deal to acquire or access the network of EchoStar subsidiary Boost Mobile.
During an earnings call, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell affirmed the strategy, explaining that the purchased spectrum provides the foundation to construct the terrestrial hardware and systems required for a full-scale mobile service. The aggressive expansion has caught the attention of existing telecom operators; Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges stated that he takes SpaceX’s plans seriously, though he estimated the effort could demand more than $200 billion to execute.
Source: The Verge
