SpaceX weighs Boost Mobile deal in push for Starlink phone service: Report

SpaceX (SPCX) may be attempting an end run to circumvent obstacles it’s facing in getting a mobile network off the ground.

Per the Washington Post, SpaceX is in talks with EchoStar (SATS) about launching its own wireless phone service through Boost Mobile, after the country’s three biggest carriers — Verizon, AT&T (T), and T-Mobile (TMUS) — reportedly turned down SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Musk met with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen last month, according to two people familiar with the negotiations cited by the Post. The talks could end with SpaceX buying Boost Mobile outright or getting access to its network, which the discount carrier leases from AT&T and T-Mobile.

In recent months, Musk asked the heads of Verizon (VZ), AT&T and T-Mobile to let SpaceX use their networks for its own mobile service. All three said no, per the Post.

But there may be a catch to SpaceX’s plan. Typically, a carrier’s lease agreement can’t be transferred to a new owner without the host carrier’s permission, meaning AT&T and T-Mobile may still need to approve a Boost deal to provide access to SpaceX.

SpaceX is open about its ambitions in the terrestrial mobile space. On the company’s recent earnings call, CFO Bret Johnsen said the goal is to “become a major mobile carrier … in the United States.” SpaceX also recently agreed to buy $8 billion worth of wireless spectrum licenses intended for cellular service in places satellites can’t reach.

“This is the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America,” Musk said on X.

SpaceX and EchoStar already have a relationship. In September 2025, SpaceX agreed to buy EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses for about $17 billion, split between up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock, EchoStar said at the time. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the deal would “advance our mission to end mobile dead zones.”

What SpaceX still lacks is a ground network. Its satellite signal isn’t strong enough yet to carry cell coverage indoors or in dense cities, where most phones are – and that’s why a deal with Boost would be so crucial.

An MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) like Boost rents capacity on an existing carrier’s network. Last month, TD Cowen’s Gregory Williams called acquiring an MVNO the cheapest and fastest route for SpaceX to launch mobile service, noting a network build would cost “upwards of $80B” and take years. 

The Big 3, he said, still show no desire “to (ever) sign an MVNO deal with Starlink that could ravage the industry.”