I’m not alone in thinking that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon might have finally met their match

T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon — the “big three” carriers in the United States — might be finally about to have their status quo challenged. And, as it turns out, I’m far from the only person who thinks that SpaceX will give all three companies a run for their money.

SpaceX, a true rival to the big three

We now have a tentative launch window for the mobile service that SpaceX has been working on. In a recent poll, we asked you what your expectations are for the service.

Despite ridicule from T-Mobile’s outgoing CFO, over 68 percent of you feel that this will finally be a true rival network to the big three.

Others think that it’s a fantasy

Almost 24 percent of voters, on the other hand, think that this is “just another” fantasy of Elon Musk. Industry veterans and critics have previously claimed that the service that SpaceX is planning on setting up cannot work, something that a significant number of you seem to agree with.

It will never match T-Mobile, AT&T, or Verizon

Lastly, almost eight percent of respondents believe that SpaceX can never be anything more than an MVNO, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator like Mint Mobile or Visible. The big three have refused to sign an MVNO agreement with SpaceX either, severely limiting its current options.

Where do you see SpaceX’s mobile network service headed?

I think the big three are in for a big surprise

Personally, I think that SpaceX is very likely to come up with something that not only works but is actually a better method for providing cellular coverage. The company is looking to create a satellite-powered service via Starlink, aiming to completely eliminate all dead zones and provide true global roaming coverage.

There might be people mocking how SpaceX is approaching this venture but, as a reminder, the same happened back when Starlink was being worked on. It was deemed an impossible task. SpaceX, on the other hand, has landed rockets back on Earth and currently handles roughly half of the launches happening around the world.

Considering the other successes that SpaceX has under its belt, I agree with the majority of you: T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are in for a very rude awakening. And I think that many of you would enjoy seeing that happen. Call it a hunch.

SpaceX has grand plans and it's not slowing down any time soon:

• SpaceX mobile service launch window
• SpaceX doesn't want to be like the big three

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