Alleged SpaceX partner for mobile service is not T-Mobile but an unlikely company
SpaceX may team up with Charter to launch a mobile service.
SpaceX could use Charter's infrastructure to reach more customers. | Image by PhoneArena
Everyone and their moms have been presenting their theories about the route SpaceX would choose to launch a mobile service. SpaceX muddled things further by saying it's considering building a network, which is the opposite of recent reports that hinted it might want to buy T-Mobile. Apparently, it's going to do neither.
Charter to the rescue
SpaceX and Charter Communications may team up on a mobile phone offering, Bloomberg reports.
Charter is the largest home internet company in the US and has a nationwide network of Wi-Fi hotspots to which it offloads the bulk of its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service, Spectrum Mobile's, traffic.
SpaceX will apparently be allowed to route its phone traffic through Charter's ground-based internet infrastructure.
A simpler path to launching a mobile service
Though SpaceX has expressed a desire to construct its own network and become the fourth facilities-based provider in the US, it doesn't have anywhere near the amount of spectrum in its war chest to do so. Its holdings are meager, and its performance in the AWS-3 auction didn't exactly improve its position.
Meanwhile, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have said they aren't interested in signing an MVNO deal with SpaceX. Teaming up with Charter sounds like a practical path to becoming a direct-to-consumer mobile phone provider.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell believes Starlink Mobile will surpass Starlink broadband in terms of success. She explained that while not everyone may want satellite internet, mobile satellite connectivity will appeal to a lot of users.
Starlink Mobile will far exceed Starlink broadband in the home. Not everybody is going to need broadband, a Starlink broadband, in their homes. There’s lots of other options as well. But I think the numbers of users of Starlink Mobile will far exceed our Starlink broadband.
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President, June 2026
Charter merged with Cox Communications last year and now passes more locations than any internet provider, at 43.2 million. While Charter routes much of its traffic through its internet network, it has struck deals with T-Mobile and Verizon to support users' traffic when they are not on Wi-Fi.
Why should SpaceX pursue this partnership?
Charter warming up to SpaceX
Charter and cable company Comcast let each other's MVNO customers access their combined Wi-Fi footprint. However, they previously said that they don't sell their infrastructure as a service to other companies.
Charter's alleged willingness to change its policy for SpaceX suggests the latter made it a good offer. The Wi-Fi networks give the cable companies an edge over rivals, which is why they guard their exclusivity.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Teaming up with SpaceX would not only open a new revenue stream for Charter but also end SpaceX's search for a partner. Given Charter's vast reach, SpaceX would be able to work toward its goal of providing connectivity to users no matter where they are.
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