SpaceX is getting more serious about becoming the fourth carrier the US needs

SpaceX confirmed earlier this year that it intended to get into the mobile network game. Furthermore, the company recently acquired spectrum to potentially improve indoor coverage. Now, it sounds like Starlink Mobile is taking another step towards challenging established carriers.

Bloomberg reports that SpaceX is in talks with at least one major network infrastructure company as part of a goal to secure at least 80,000 cell sites in the US. One of these companies is said to be Crown Castle Inc, which is one of the largest owners of cell sites in the country.

“You can assume that we’re talking to all parties,” Crown Castle CEO Chris Hillabrant was quoted as saying during an earnings call. This was in response to a question asking whether the firm had leasing discussions with SpaceX, Amazon, and other satellite-based providers.

A deal like this should theoretically give Starlink Mobile a firm foundation for a proper mobile service to rival US carriers. For what it’s worth, T-Mobile reportedly claimed a year ago that it had 82,715 towers across the country. It’s unclear whether this figure includes smaller cell nodes.

Nevertheless, it looks like the pieces are slowly coming together for Starlink Mobile to challenge AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. So people fed up with the established networks should keep an eye on these developments or consider other alternative carriers.