Elon Musk indicated that he’s receptive to broadening the use of Starlink, a satellite internet service that SpaceX is developing, to provide service worldwide as a large, global, mobile network.
It’s an interesting idea that comes to light at a time when SpaceX is in the midst of buying key pieces of spectrum in the U.S. from EchoStar.
] The comments, which he made in a podcast appearance, suggest a bolder approach: combining Starlink’s satellite broadband service with direct-to-phone service to compete alongside — but not entirely replace — existing cellular networks.
It’s an evolution that would expand on Starlink’s developing constellation and direct-to-cell pilots it already has underway. But even Musk added a dose of realism to the ambition, indicating that terrestrial carriers will still be around, while Starlink looks into “one of the options” for more of a carrier-like presence.
What EchoStar’s Spectrum Could Unlock
The EchoStar deal gives SpaceX access to coveted mid-band spectrum at around 1.9GHz and 2GHz — bands carriers have coveted for their balance between coverage and capacity. AT&T’s chief executive has described the package as somewhere in the range of 40MHz — enough to significantly expand Starlink’s direct-to-cell road map but not enough, on its own, to stand up a dense, urban terrestrial network.
SpaceX has made the case to regulators and its partners that pairing this spectrum with next-generation Starlink satellites will mean a phone with performance comparable to “somewhere between 4G and 5G,” outdoors and eventually indoors through typical building materials. That architecture amounts to a “cell tower” in orbit — each satellite carries cellular base station equipment and pipes standard radio waveforms straight to unmodified phones once those bands are available in handsets.
The spectrum would also decrease Starlink’s reliance on the airwaves of partners. In the U.S., the firm has worked with T‑Mobile on PCS spectrum to conduct early texting and app data trials. Owning spectrum would enable Starlink to scale without relying on individual‑country deals and align a more international footprint, pending national approvals and coordination with the F.C.C. and the International Telecommunication Union.
From Partner to Competitor? The Carrier Calculus
Musk’s “global carrier” framing had raised eyebrows because T‑Mobile is both a Starlink partner and a probable future rival. Industry observers see several potential routes: Starlink could function as a facilities-based satellite carrier and sell a service directly; it could serve as a wholesaler to mobile network operators (MNOs) that include satellite coverage in their offerings; or it could opt for a hybrid MVNO‑style approach, combining satellite capacity with terrestrial roaming.
Musk, for his part, proposed cohabitation instead of a hostile takeover of consumer mobility. Carriers are in command of the massive licenced spectrum and the dense terrestrial footprint. But a Starlink option—alongside AT&T, T‑Mobile, andVerizon—would provide customers and business another layer of coverage, especially in areas where there are no towers or power/backhaul is down.
Phones, Chips and a Two‑Year Barrier
There’s a hardware catch. Musk said regular phones would need support for new bands to communicate with Starlink’s license‑acquired frequencies — a process that usually means baseband and RF front‑end updates from chipset vendors and handset makers. He placed the timeline at about two years — similar to how 3GPP features typically flow from standards to silicon, and then to consumer devices.
Non‑terrestrial network (NTN) modes for 5G and LTE have already been specified by standards bodies. The short-term Starlink device strategy follows LTE-based direct-to-cell, with 5G NTN to come as the ecosystem develops. Concurrently, SpaceX needs to deploy additional satellites with larger phased arrays and in‑orbit cellular payloads in order to increase capacity and reduce latency.
Capacity Reality Check
Analysts are quick to say that “global carrier” is not the same thing as “tower replacement,” particularly in cities. Tim Farrar of TMF Associates has been saying for years that the potential of those satellite connections lies primarily in complementing the rich mesh of links on the ground, and the idea has merit. Link budgets, capacity and general volume of data will necessitate caps in urban hotspots, says Analysys Mason analyst Lluc Palerm Serra; metro users who think they’ll get the same performance from space as fiber will be disappointed.
On the other hand, the economics look compelling for rural coverage, highways, maritime corridors and disaster response — places where running fiber or deploying more macro sites is slow or uneconomic. For governments and companies, an orbital “overlay” decreases single‑point failures and increases resiliency.
Rivals, Partners and a Changing Map
Starlink won’t be alone. AT&T partners with AST SpaceMobile on large satellite antennas aimed at 4G/5G waveforms, while Apple uses Globalstar for emergency messaging in supported areas. They vary in spectrum, payload design, and market go‑to‑market strategy, but they all chase the same prize: making phones work where towers don’t.
Regulators will shape the pace. The FCC has been laying the groundwork for backup coverage from space and has cleared several rounds of testing. Outside the U.S., market‑by‑market licensing and cross‑border coordination will govern just how “global” Starlink can be in practice ‑‑ and how fast.
What to Watch Next
Key milestones at this point: additional Gen2 satellites with payloads that go direct‑to‑cell, commitments from handset equipment vendors to new bands and commercial pilots that go beyond messaging into sustained data sessions. Pricing and packaging will be crucial as well — Musk suggested the possibility of a combined home broadband and phone-based connectivity Starlink account, a package that could reframe how people think about coverage.
If SpaceX turns spectrum plus satellites into a real “global carrier,” that won’t wipe out terrestrial networks — but it could reshape their boundaries. The most probable near-term outcome is a strong complementary: satellite-backed coverage in the gaps, with carriers reselling or roaming onto Starlink as and when it makes sense. For consumers, that could translate into less dead space and a more robust communications safety net, even if skyscraper‑grade speeds still belong to fiber optics and dense mid‑band 5G.
