SpaceX eyes Boost Mobile deal for Starlink phone service: report

SpaceX (SPCX) may be trying to get around the obstacles it faces in getting a mobile network off the ground.

According to the Washington Post, SpaceX is in talks with EchoStar (SATS) on launching its own wireless phone service through Boost Mobile, following the country’s three largest carriers — Verizon, AT&T (T) and T-Mobile (TMUS) – reportedly refused SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Musk met with EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen last month, according to two people familiar with the negotiations cited by the Post. The talks could end with SpaceX purchasing Boost Mobile outright or gaining access to its network, which the discount carrier leases from AT&T and T-Mobile.

In recent months, Musk has asked executives at Verizon (VZ), AT&T and T-Mobile to let SpaceX use their networks for its own mobile service. All three said no, according to the Post.

But there may be a catch to SpaceX’s plan. Typically, a carrier’s lease cannot be transferred to a new owner without permission from the host carrier, meaning AT&T and T-Mobile may still need to approve a Boost deal to give SpaceX access.

SpaceX is open about its ambitions in the land mobile space. About the company recent earnings callChief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen said the goal was to “become a major mobile operator…in the United States.” SpaceX also recently agreed to buy 8 billion dollars wireless spectrum value licenses for cellular service in places that satellites cannot reach.

“This is the final critical piece of the spectrum puzzle that SpaceX needs to provide comprehensive phone coverage in America,” Musk said. said the.

SpaceX and EchoStar already have a relationship. In September 2025, SpaceX agreed to purchase EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses for approximately $17 billion, split between up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock. EchoStar said at the time. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the deal would “advance our mission to end moving dead zones.”

What SpaceX still lacks is a ground network. Its satellite signal isn’t yet strong enough to provide cellular coverage indoors or in dense cities, where most phones are – and that’s why a deal with Boost would be so crucial.

An MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) like Boost leases capacity on an existing operator’s network. Last month, Gregory Williams of TD Cowen called acquiring an MVNO the cheapest and fastest way for SpaceX to launch a mobile service, noting that building a network would cost “more than $80 billion” and take years.

The Big 3, he said, still show no willingness “to (one day) sign an MVNO deal with Starlink that could devastate the industry.”