Starlink lines up a frontal assault on mobile operators

SpaceX has told investors it plans to launch a Starlink mobile service for US consumers, the Financial Times reported on Friday, in a move that could allow the Elon Musk-led company to compete directly with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Here are some details: SpaceX already offers direct-to-cell connectivity with T-Mobile in the US, providing supplemental coverage from space to extend internet access to remote areas. SpaceX is now considering launching a Starlink retail product and could build its own terrestrial US mobile network, president Gwynne Shotwell told investors during a recent IPO road show, the FT report said, citing sources. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. In September last year, SpaceX bought wireless spectrum licences from EchoStar for its Starlink satellite network for about US$17-billion and then again for $2.6-billion in November, giving it the ability to quickly create a strong and affordable direct-to-cell service by using EchoStar’s wireless airwaves. SpaceX will disrupt the $1.6-trillion US communications industry as its satellite broadband unit Starlink expands, brokerage firm Oppenheimer said in a note earlier this month. SpaceX’s record valuation is grounded in Starlink, which has over 10 million subscribers, and a launch business that analysts and investors say has transformed access to orbit.