SpaceX confirms Starlink Mobile terrestrial network plan on earnings call
Shotwell confirmed on SpaceX's first earnings call that it will build a terrestrial network for Starlink Mobile using EchoStar spectrum.
what happened
On SpaceX's first earnings call as a public company, COO Gwynne Shotwell said the company 'definitely' intends to build the terrestrial component of a Starlink Mobile service, using the roughly 65 megahertz of spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar, per Fierce Network and Broadband Breakfast. Shotwell said SpaceX will fly Starlink Mobile satellites starting in 2027 and expects to begin providing service by the end of that year, and framed AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile's roughly $600 billion in combined annual revenue as an opportunity, saying she anticipates SpaceX 'acquiring quite a few of their customers.' Musk described the terrestrial approach as deploying small stations that are 'essentially just Starlink dishes that also provide connectivity in the mobile spectrum bands.'
why it matters
This converts the June roadshow rumor into an on-the-record plan with a timeline and named spectrum source, sharpening the threat to Starlink's own carrier partners: a retail Starlink Mobile service built on SpaceX's own terrestrial spectrum turns T-Mobile from a direct-to-device partner into a direct competitor, and every carrier now has a stated 2027 date to plan defenses around.
for who
Mobile network operators, direct-to-device competitors, telecom investors
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- SpaceX
- Category
- product
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-06-26
- Published
- 2026-07-08 13:33 UTC