Credit: Andrew Grush / Android Authority
TL;DR
- SpaceX is reportedly planning a Starlink mobile service, setting up a direct challenge to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in the US wireless market.
- The company is said to be exploring its own ground-based wireless network.
- A $17 billion EchoStar spectrum deal gives SpaceX exclusive airwaves to power future direct-to-device and hybrid satellite-cellular services.
The cozy relationship between satellite internet and traditional cell carriers is about to face a significant challenge. SpaceX is reportedly preparing for a massive strategy shift that will put it in competition with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
Financial Times reports that SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told investors during an IPO roadshow that the company is actively considering a Starlink-branded retail mobile service for consumers in the US. Even crazier? SpaceX could build out its own wireless network on the ground to support it.
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