SpaceX challenges Big 3 US carriers’ satellite D2D joint venture

TL;DR: SpaceX signaled opposition to a planned direct-to-device satellite joint venture involving the three largest US mobile operators, according to a Fierce Network report. The report said questions remain about the structure of the venture and how it would affect spectrum access and competition in the US satellite-to-phone market.

SpaceX signaled it will fight a planned satellite direct-to-device joint venture involving the three largest US mobile operators, according to a Fierce Network report published in 2024. The report identified the issue as a dispute over a proposed joint venture tied to direct-to-device, or D2D, satellite connectivity, which links satellites directly to standard mobile phones.

The Fierce Network report said the proposed venture involves the US wireless “Big 3,” a common industry reference to AT&T, T-Mobile US, and Verizon. The article said questions are still unresolved about the joint venture’s structure, its spectrum position, and the competitive impact it could have on other satellite direct-to-device providers.

The report said SpaceX executives indicated they intend to contest the venture. Based on the source excerpt and description, the dispute centers on the US market for satellite-to-phone services rather than on eSIM-specific standards such as eUICC, the embedded universal integrated circuit card used to store operator profiles, or SGP.32, the GSMA remote SIM provisioning standard for IoT devices.

Related questions

• Which companies are included in the US wireless Big 3 in this report?
• What is direct-to-device satellite connectivity?
• Why is SpaceX opposing the proposed joint venture?
• What competition and spectrum questions remain around the venture?