SpaceX weighs US Starlink retail mobile service

SpaceX is considering a US consumer mobile service under its Starlink business, according to a Financial Times report citing a recent IPO roadshow.

The Financial Times reported that SpaceX told investors during a recent IPO roadshow that it is considering a Starlink retail mobile service in the United States. The report said SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell also indicated the company could eventually build its own terrestrial mobile network in the US.

A bond prospectus seen by the Financial Times said Starlink Mobile is expected initially to serve customers in remote areas not covered by terrestrial mobile networks. The same document said the longer-term goal is to compete for customer connectivity across rural, suburban and urban areas.

SpaceX has not publicly confirmed a consumer mobile plan. The report follows SpaceX's $17 billion acquisition of wireless spectrum licences through a deal with EchoStar last year, and its $75 billion IPO earlier this month, which valued the company at $1.78 trillion. In the US, SpaceX has already worked with T-Mobile US on direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service, which connects standard mobile devices to satellites, and T-Mobile US launched its SuperBroadband managed business internet service in April using Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellite network and T-Mobile's 5G-Advanced network.