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8:44 AM PST · November 2, 2026
SpaceX is looking to bargain Boost Mobile from EchoStar, according to a report from The Washington Post. If the woody goes through, it would assistance the Elon Musk-owned institution physique a hybrid cellular-satellite web that could assistance catapult it into 4th spot among the apical U.S. wireless providers.
The space-launch institution has been dabbling successful cellular connectivity, rolling retired outer entree to T-Mobile’s subscribers successful 2024. Last year, SpaceX bought $17 cardinal worthy of wireless spectrum from EchoStar for cellular services, which could assistance the company’s Starlink work scope wrong buildings, for example, thing it presently struggles with.
“This is the past captious portion of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to supply implicit telephone sum successful America,” Musk said on X astatine the clip of the spectrum acquisition. Yet, if Musk is inactive looking to bargain entree to terrestrial networks, it seemingly wasn’t the past piece.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, reportedly spoke straight with EchoStar president Charlie Ergen successful October astir acquiring Boost Mobile, the mobile virtual web operator. EchoStar has astir 7.5 cardinal customers betwixt Boost Mobile and GenMobile, its different mobile work offering.
Musk has besides approached AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon astir buying capableness connected their networks. All 3 rejected Musk, and they whitethorn inactive person a accidental successful a SpaceX acquisition of Boost Mobile. Boost doesn’t run its ain towers, alternatively leasing capableness from AT&T and T-Mobile, which mightiness request to o.k. specified a deal. Sources speaking to The Post said that web leases are usually nontransferable.
The large 3 providers each person implicit 100 cardinal subscribers, dwarfing Boost Mobile. But portion the acquisition would springiness SpaceX an contiguous bump successful subscribers, the existent worth of the woody would beryllium giving the institution entree to terrestrial cellular networks.
Gaining entree to towers leased to Boost Mobile would grow sum importantly — Boost currently covers astir of the 48 contiguous states successful the U.S. — allowing Starlink to screen devices erstwhile they’re outdoors and relying connected compartment towers to grip devices erstwhile Starlink signals can’t scope them.
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Tim De Chant is simply a elder clime newsman astatine TechCrunch. He has written for a wide scope of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, wherever helium was founding editor.
De Chant is besides a lecturer successful MIT’s Graduate Program successful Science Writing, and helium was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship astatine MIT successful 2018, during which clip helium studied clime technologies and explored caller concern models for journalism. He received his PhD successful biology science, policy, and absorption from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA grade successful biology studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You tin interaction oregon verify outreach from Tim by emailing [email protected].
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