SpaceX plans to directly sell mobile phone package services to U.S. users based on the existing Starlink satellite network, and may build a ground cellular network to create a mobile communications system that combines satellite coverage and ground networks. According to the Financial Times , SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has introduced the idea to investors during the company’s recent IPO roadshow.
Compared with the current role of Starlink in the US mobile market, this will mean a major change in the model: currently, SpaceX mainly provides satellite connection capabilities for T-Mobile's T-Satellite service, but subscription, billing and customer service are handled by T-Mobile; if Starlink's own brand mobile service is launched in the future, SpaceX will directly control the user relationship, turning from a partner of traditional operators to a potential competitor.
Currently, T-Mobile has launched a satellite communication test based on Starlink in the United States in early 2025. The early test version mainly supports text messaging functions and is open to some AT&T and Verizon users for trial. As testing progresses, the service has been expanded to support limited data access for some applications, including WhatsApp, Google Maps, AccuWeather and AllTrails. It is mainly used to provide emergency or supplementary connectivity in areas where traditional cell towers cannot cover, rather than completely replacing existing mobile networks.
The report pointed out that if SpaceX wants to truly realize wide-area mobile services for users across the United States, relying solely on satellite networks is not enough, and it also needs to work hard on ground operations. One possible path is to cooperate with existing operators to use each other's terrestrial network in the form of a virtual operator (MVNO), while supplementing Starlink satellite communications to build a hybrid network architecture of "space and earth integration".
In order to lay out its mobile business, SpaceX has invested heavily in spectrum resources in recent years. Last year alone, the company struck multiple deals with EchoStar to acquire its wireless spectrum licenses for a total of about $19.6 billion. These spectrums include AWS-4, H-band and AWS-3, etc., which can be used for satellite communications and terrestrial mobile communications, providing key resources for the future integration of satellite and terrestrial networks. According to securities documents filed by SpaceX, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the relevant transaction in May 2026, but the entire transaction is not expected to be officially completed until the end of 2027.
Currently, SpaceX has not issued an official statement on the Starlink mobile service plan, and information such as package prices, specific tariff models, commercial schedules, and coverage strategies have not yet been disclosed. Judging from existing signs, SpaceX is gradually transforming from a "satellite broadband provider" to an "integrated mobile network operator" with the help of spectrum acquisition, cooperative testing with operators, and potential own-brand mobile services. Its competition and cooperation pattern in the US mobile communications market is also expected to change significantly as a result.