Musk confirms Starlink phone plan
June 29, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Elon Musk has again stated that SpaceX will launch a retail cellular phone service using its Starlink broadband-by-satellite system.
The move, as far as the US is concerned, could see Starlink’s potential move into retail cellular add another powerful competitor on top of the existing competition between AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. T-Mobile already has a relationship (T-Satellite) in the US – which expires in July – with SpaceX and there has been considerable speculation that T-Mobile could be acquired by SpaceX.
While the initial move into Starlink-branded cellular could focus and benefit users in remote and rural areas where cellular coverage is poor or non-existent, this could lead to a full-service offering in urban areas.
Starlink rival AST SpaceMobile is already targeting users via partnership agreements with the world’s major cellular telcos.
Musk commented: “This will allow SpaceX to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity directly from satellites to phones… The phones that are able to use the spectrum we acquired will probably start shipping in around two years.”
Musk admitted that SpaceX must build and launch suitable satellites which is a “long-term thing”. He also stressed that there needs to be hardware modifications to the chip-sets that are in today’s cell-phones and that SpaceX would be working with handset makers to add suitable frequencies to phones. ”Then, with satellites and phones able to handshake easily the net effect is [a service] that enables users to watch video on their phones,” noted Musk.
SpaceX has paid some $17 billion (€14.9bn) for EchoStar terrestrial cellular spectrum for a service that could challenge the US big three operators (AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) head on.
Other posts by :
- Credit agency rating downgrades Arqiva
- Vodafone Spain explains Sat-Connect Europe plan
- FCC praises AST SpaceMobile
- AST SpaceMobile’s August launch plan
- SpaceX post-IPO value trimmed
- Thailand’s National Telecom advised to give up satellite slot
- Moody’s issues Baa1 rating to SpaceX
- SES EGM approves corporate changes
- Reliance Jio promises LEO action for India