Musk Turns to EchoStar as SpaceX's Starlink Phone Play Rattles Carriers

SpaceX is pushing into mobile service through Starlink, aiming to link regular smartphones directly to its satellites and cut the industry's reliance on cell towers. That prospect has major U.S. carriers — Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile among them — watching closely, according to Coinpedia.

When the big carriers reportedly rejected SpaceX's requests for network access, Elon Musk's team shifted course toward EchoStar, the parent company of Boost Mobile, to explore either an acquisition or a network partnership. The move would give SpaceX a shortcut into the wireless business it has been trying to crack.

SpaceX has already poured billions into wireless spectrum and is reportedly angling for access to 80,000 cellular sites to support the effort. Those assets would underpin a service designed to reach phones directly, no dish or special hardware required.

Two hurdles stand between the plan and the airwaves: regulatory approvals and the technical limits of the network itself. Neither has been cleared yet.