Musk Confirms SpaceX Will Launch Retail Starlink Mobile Phone Service

Elon Musk confirmed SpaceX plans to launch a retail cellular phone service powered by the Starlink satellite network, positioning it to directly challenge AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Musk said phones capable of using the roughly $17 billion in EchoStar terrestrial spectrum SpaceX has acquired (65 MHz of contiguous nationwide mid-band frequencies across AWS-3, AWS-4, and H-Block) will likely begin shipping in about two years, pending new satellite hardware, modified phone chipsets, and handset-maker partnerships. The service would initially target rural and remote coverage gaps before potentially expanding to urban markets, building on SpaceX's existing wholesale Direct-to-Cell partnership with T-Mobile's T-Satellite service.