September 12 — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on the All-In podcast that acquiring Verizon, the largest U.S. telecom operator, is “not impossible” if more spectrum resources are needed.
SpaceX is accelerating its direct-to-cell satellite strategy. Earlier this month, it announced a $17 billion deal with EchoStar (approx. RMB 121.18 billion), which includes 50 MHz of U.S. S-band spectrum and global MSS spectrum rights.
The newly acquired spectrum will take about two years before being supported in new smartphones. During this period, SpaceX will simultaneously develop satellites and work with device makers. Musk said the move could enable high-speed mobile data coverage worldwide, but it would not replace existing carriers. Instead, SpaceX may lease some spectrum to T-Mobile.
On the podcast, Musk explained that the new spectrum would allow satellites to provide high-bandwidth connections to smartphones. However, current mobile chipsets do not yet support these frequencies. It will take at least two years before smartphones can adopt them. SpaceX must in the meantime develop compatible satellites and collaborate with phone manufacturers to integrate the bands into future devices.
EchoStar also holds international spectrum assets, which could help Starlink evolve into a global telecom operator. Still, Musk stressed that SpaceX will not push existing operators out of the market, as they control significant amounts of spectrum resources.
