SpaceX in talks to buy or access EchoStar's Boost Mobile network
SpaceX is negotiating to buy or lease Boost Mobile's network from EchoStar for Starlink Mobile, per the Washington Post.
what happened
SpaceX has held talks with telecom company EchoStar in recent months about acquiring its Boost Mobile wireless service or gaining access to its network, with Elon Musk personally meeting EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen last month, per the Washington Post. EchoStar had 7.38 million wireless subscribers at the end of the second quarter; Boost leases its network capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile rather than operating its own towers, and any transfer of those leases to a new owner would likely need both carriers' consent. The approach follows SpaceX's unsuccessful bid for direct network access from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
why it matters
A Boost Mobile deal would hand SpaceX a US wireless carrier license and an existing subscriber base to build out Starlink Mobile's hybrid satellite-terrestrial network, the fastest route into the market after T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T each rejected direct network-access requests. EchoStar shares rose and AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shares fell on the report, a sign investors see a credible fourth-carrier threat, though SpaceX would still need carrier consent to inherit Boost's leased capacity and would face the build-out, customer-service and device-subsidy costs analysts say incumbents already have covered.
for who
Telecom carriers, MVNO resellers, and D2D competitors