Verizon announced Tuesday that it would acquire the fixed wireless start-up Starry for an undisclosed sum and weave its network and engineering into Verizon’s nascent home internet business, a move that signals a deeper bet on urban broadband delivered over the air rather than by fiber-optic wire. The terms of the deal were not made public, but it is a clear play by Verizon to speed up its FWA expansion and maintain an edge over cable players in high-density markets.
Starry established itself as the reliable supplier of millimeter-wave to multi-dwelling units, using a bigger dish and proprietary beam-forming to keep those links hot even when line-of-sight isn’t perfect. Verizon intends to fold that playbook into its own fixed wireless platform as it pushes for household coverage on a wider scale and millions more subscriptions over the next several years.
Why Verizon Wants Starry for Urban Fixed Wireless Growth
Starry’s network is focused on densely populated corridors in Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Washington; so far the company has gotten nearly 100,000 customers to subscribe. Its pricing has been deliberately uncomplicated, with a budget tier hovering around $30 per month (and offering about 200Mbps download and 50Mbps upload speeds), and no data caps at any level of service. That combination has made Starry a popular alternative to cable service in buildings where it has gained rooftop rights and access to inside wiring.
The main prize is the technology. However, with millimeter-wave, which is known for its short range, Starry demonstrated that well-designed radios together with bigger customer-premises equipment and accurate beam steering could provide stable beyond-line-of-sight performance over city blocks. Verizon, for example, uses mmWave for capacity and mid-band spectrum to serve a wider coverage area, so it can plug Starry’s know-how into its already existing 5G Home Internet architecture — boosting speeds and reliability in dense neighborhoods.
Analysts at MoffettNathanson have long contended that Starry’s proprietary beam-forming is its “crown jewel,” and the company won “meaningful early share” in Boston’s apartment market. If that deployment model was translated into Verizon’s national operations, it could help to refine the carrier’s urban playbook and reduce installation friction with multi-tenant buildings.
What Changes for Customers After Verizon Buys Starry
Verizon said service would continue while integration takes place, and additional information will be provided after review by the Federal Communications Commission. Customers can expect eventual alignment with Verizon’s Home Internet plans, which offer simple pricing and wide self-install availability. In practical terms, that could translate to updated gateways, consistent support and new bundle options when networks and billing systems converge.
One open question is brand. Starry did have name equity in some buildings and communities, but as migrations stabilize, large carriers usually rationalize brands. But it’s the short-term influence that will likely be felt most at the network level, where Verizon can leverage Starry’s rooftop infrastructure and building-access accords in addition to its own radio designs to densify coverage in difficult-to-serve urban nooks.
A Startup’s Winding Road: Starry’s Path to Acquisition
Founded in 2016 by Chet Kanojia, Starry aimed to provide an alternative to cable without having to trench fiber. It gained early traction, especially in Boston, but a planned 2022 public-market debut fell apart amid lower valuations for broadband upstarts. The company filed for Chapter 11 in early 2023, and emerged later that year as a private business after reducing expenses and retreating from planned expansions including Columbus, Ohio.
Starry’s technological accomplishments exceeded its balance sheet. The company continued to prove that mmWave can be a reliable last mile for apartments and offices when radio design, antenna placement and building access are designed thoughtfully. It’s that intellectual property and deployment experience that Verizon is purchasing.
Kanojia, creator of the now-defunct Aereo, is no stranger to unorthodox wireless visions. Though Aereo was eventually closed down by the Supreme Court in 2014, its aggressive approach to spectrum and infrastructure previewed Starry’s willingness to rethink how broadband might be delivered in cities.
Competitive and Regulatory Context for the Deal
Fixed wireless has been the home broadband industry’s hottest growth segment in recent years. 5G-based home internet has garnered most of the net broadband additions in numerous quarters since 2022, according to research by Leichtman Research Group — and much of that at the expense of old-school cable. Verizon has publicly set its sights on tens of millions of serviceable households and has a target to drive fixed wireless subscriptions in the high single-digit millions over the medium term.
Rival carriers are making similar moves. T-Mobile’s home internet service has grown quickly, with subscriber additions in recent years, expanding rapidly with mid-band spectrum, while cable operators like Comcast and Charter have relied on promotional pricing and faster tiers to protect share. In that context, Starry offers Verizon a niche tool set for multi-tenant buildings where in-building wiring, landlord approvals and rooftop logistics can be the difference between making or missing deployment timelines.
Regulatory scrutiny is expected to focus on spectrum holdings, an area where T-Mobile and Sprint already face fewer questions because they say they will sell prepaid wireless assets, as well as market concentration, though Starry has only a tiny sliver of the broadband marketplace. The transaction will reflect this already existing oversight and build upon an analysis that has guided changes as the FCC continues to concentrate on broadband competition, affordability and speed of deployment.
What to Watch Next as Verizon Integrates Starry Assets
Key milestones will be regulatory approval, brand decisions, customer migration plans and the speed with which Verizon reuses Starry’s rooftops and radio designs in other markets. Keep an eye out for pilot building conversions and new speed tiers in affluent ZIP codes, where mmWave powered with smarter beam-forming makes it possible to bring fiber-like performance without digging up the streets.
Solutions from that integration could include reducing installation times in apartments, making edge networks more consistent and putting some competitive pressure on cable at the urban core. For consumers, the headline is straightforward: more choice, transparent pricing and faster internet service over wireless connections in areas where building logistics have long hampered other options.
