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SpaceX weighs Boost Mobile deal in push for Starlink phone service: Report
Yahoo Finance • • business
Key Points:
- SpaceX is negotiating with EchoStar to potentially launch its own wireless phone service through Boost Mobile after being rejected by major carriers Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile for network access.
- The talks could involve SpaceX buying Boost Mobile or gaining access to its network, which currently leases capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile, though these carriers would need to approve any transfer of lease rights.
- SpaceX aims to become a major U.S. mobile carrier and has recently acquired $8 billion in wireless spectrum licenses to provide comprehensive phone coverage, complementing its satellite network.
- A partnership with Boost Mobile, an MVNO, would allow SpaceX to use existing ground networks to overcome limitations of its satellite signal indoors and in dense urban areas, enabling faster and more cost-effective mobile service deployment.
- Industry experts note that building a new network would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, while major carriers remain unwilling to partner with SpaceX as an MVNO, making the Boost deal a potentially critical move.
