SpaceX reveals how Starlink Mobile plans to take on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile

When reports emerged that SpaceX was exploring a Starlink-branded mobile carrier, it sounded like an ambitious long-term goal. At the time, the company had reportedly been pitching investors on a consumer wireless service, backed by its $17 billion acquisition of EchoStar’s 65MHz of spectrum and a possible terrestrial network to complement Starlink’s satellites. Just weeks later, SpaceX has gone from hinting at those plans to openly confirming them.

Speaking during the company’s first earnings call since its IPO, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell confirmed (via Fierce Network) that the company intends to build a terrestrial mobile network alongside its satellite infrastructure, laying out the clearest roadmap yet for what Starlink Mobile will eventually become.

“The spectrum that we purchased from EchoStar does have terrestrial components, so we definitely intend to build out the terrestrial component,” Shotwell said. Rather than relying solely on satellites, SpaceX wants a hybrid network that combines space- and ground-based infrastructure into what it describes as a “true mobile service.”

That hybrid approach is key. Today, Starlink’s direct-to-cell service operates using around 5MHz of spectrum leased from carrier partners, primarily for basic connectivity outside cellular coverage. Once the EchoStar acquisition closes, SpaceX will have access to 65MHz of spectrum, alongside next-generation satellites that Shotwell said will make Starlink Mobile 100 times better than the current service.

A different approach to building a mobile network

The company also shared more about how it plans to build its terrestrial network without matching the enormous infrastructure spending of traditional carriers.

Instead of deploying large cellular towers everywhere, Elon Musk said SpaceX is developing a distributed network of smaller base stations that could be integrated with existing Starlink installations on homes and businesses.

In other words, many of the same rooftops already hosting Starlink dishes today could eventually help deliver mobile coverage as well.

Notably, SpaceX still owns far less spectrum than AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. Rather than trying to beat those carriers at their own game, it wants satellites to fill coverage gaps while smaller terrestrial nodes provide additional capacity where it’s needed.

SpaceX expects to win customers away from the three major US carriers by eliminating dead zones and providing more resilient connectivity during natural disasters. Musk went even further, saying the company believes Starlink Mobile could ultimately deliver higher bandwidth than today’s traditional cellular networks.