SpaceX is reportedly in talks to buy EchoStar’s Boost Mobile wireless service or gain access to its network, which it leases from AT&T and T-Mobile, according to a new report on Monday.
The Musk-led rocket maker reportedly aims to build a hybrid satellite and terrestrial mobile network through Starlink Mobile, challenging US wireless giants AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. It plans to combine its satellite constellation with ground-based infrastructure to compete directly in the telecom market.
The report follows Musk’s scathing letter to the Federal Communications Commission about T-Mobile and the agency’s proposed spectrum rule changes.
In a letter dated October 28, SpaceX said the agency should reject the “technically unsound recommendations from the Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council (AFTRCC) and T-Mobile,” which call for power limits on satellite transmissions, arguing that the signals could interfere with flight telemetry tracking systems.
“Unfortunately, the misplaced desire to harm a competitor has led many incumbents to oppose modernized rules that would bring direct-to-cell service to underserved border communities,” SpaceX said.
“AFTRCC is now purely a lobbying organization whose mission is to protect legacy companies and their comments should
not be viewed as independent or objective,” SpaceX alleged in the letter.
SpaceX also criticized T-Mobile’s demands for protecting its base stations, saying they would create 250-mile-wide buffer zones around cell towers and “disenfranchising millions from direct-to-cell service in the countries where the limit is applied.”
T-Mobile shares jumped almost 7% Monday following the report. AT&T shares rose over 2%.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
