en.Wedoany.com Reported - SpaceX, the parent company of US satellite operator Starlink, has been advised to acquire a mobile network operator to address network access bottlenecks facing its mobile satellite service. Wolfe Research senior analyst Peter Supino noted in June 2026 that after the three major US carriers refused to provide Starlink with Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) access, acquiring T-Mobile, AT&T, or Verizon is the best path for its telecom business development.
Supino stated that this recommendation is based on two premises. First, if Starlink Mobile becomes a telecom operator on its own, the US market would expand to four players, potentially intensifying competition and reducing industry profitability. Second, if the three major carriers continue to refuse cooperation, SpaceX would have to build its own network. The analyst emphasized in June 2026 that the way to avoid this scenario is to directly purchase an existing network, which would be more beneficial for all parties involved.
The agency pointed out that T-Mobile is a better acquisition target because it does not own a wired network that is useless to Starlink, and acquiring its parent company Deutsche Telekom could also help SpaceX enter the German and Austrian markets. Although SpaceX has not yet made an official statement, Elon Musk said in late 2025 that he would not rule out acquiring Verizon, but also emphasized that Starlink would not stifle the business of other operators, as they possess substantial spectrum resources.
In terms of spectrum deployment, SpaceX has purchased 65 MHz of mid-band spectrum from EchoStar, but the bands are fragmented. The company could expand its resources in the future by bidding for AWS-3 spectrum or purchasing EchoStar's available 700 MHz, AWS-3, CBRS, C-band, MVDDS, and millimeter-wave licenses. Wolfe Research believes that SpaceX could also use its existing spectrum as a bargaining chip to reach an MVNO agreement with one of the three major carriers. Alex Besen, founder of The Besen Group, predicted in May 2026 that Starlink Mobile could gain 20 million users in the US within its first five years, with its goal extending far beyond key niche markets to becoming the first global mobile satellite operator.
Supino added in June 2026 that once SpaceX announces plans to build its own Mobile Network Operator (MNO), an existing carrier is likely to compromise to avoid a fourth competitor, granting MVNO access in exchange for revenue. The three major carriers' refusal of MVNO cooperation itself indicates they already view Starlink as a threat, and they have even established satellite partnerships with SpaceX's competitors.
Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics, said in June 2026 that Musk prefers to build a telecom company from scratch rather than acquire an existing operator. However, he also acknowledged that the world's richest man's behavior is highly unpredictable. The report noted that Musk has expressed dissatisfaction with the revenue generated by SpaceX's existing satellite partnership with T-Mobile, and SpaceX has publicly criticized T-Mobile and Verizon for holding customers hostage. The article concluded that, just as Musk previously acquired the struggling Twitter, if he sets his sights on dominance in the mobile sector, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are fundamentally no different.
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