SpaceX explores buying EchoStar's Boost Mobile or tapping its US network

Talks over Boost Mobile

SpaceX has discussed a deal that would either take over EchoStar's Boost Mobile or give SpaceX use of its wireless network, the Washington Post reported on 2 November 2026. Elon Musk held the talks personally, meeting EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen in October 2026, according to people familiar with the discussions. The aim is a mobile service of SpaceX's own, combining its satellite-to-phone constellation with ground equipment, which would put it in direct competition with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Boost is a discount carrier aimed at low-income customers, and Handelsblatt puts its customer base at 7.4 million. Neither SpaceX nor EchoStar answered requests for comment, and Verizon also declined to comment.

Carrier consent and earlier rebuffs

Boost has no cell towers of its own and leases capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile. Handelsblatt reports that those agreements would end automatically on a sale, which means SpaceX would probably need the consent of both carriers. The proposed service may also need their approval before it can launch. The obstacle is not new: Musk earlier asked Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T for access to their networks so SpaceX could run its own phone service, and all three turned him down. Interviews with nearly a dozen telecom industry insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, showed that the prospect has worried the carriers that Musk could disrupt their business.

Musk's wider plan

SpaceX built its reputation on rockets and satellites, but Musk wants it to become a mega-company offering a range of services. He estimates revenue could reach $1 trillion a year as soon as 2027, a figure he links to a valuation he has said could eventually exceed the economy of planet Earth. Musk framed the carrier fight in strategic terms when he said recently:

“Veterans of the cellular industry look at the chess board of existing pieces and don't see a solution.”

Market reaction and spectrum backdrop

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon shares each fell nearly 2% in premarket trading after the report, while Deutsche Telekom, the parent of T-Mobile, dropped 2.5%. EchoStar shares rose around 4% in early trading on 2 November 2026, before US markets opened. MoffettNathanson estimates the US market SpaceX wants to enter at $235 billion. In September 2025 SpaceX agreed a deal worth about $17 billion, combining cash and stock, for EchoStar's AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licences, and Boost customers were expected to gain access to SpaceX's satellite-to-phone service under that arrangement. Separately, SpaceX agreed to buy low-band spectrum from Grain Management for around $8 billion, and Bloomberg reported in October 2026 that SpaceX is in talks for access to at least 80,000 cell sites in the US.

EchoStar spectrum deal (Sep 2025)17

Grain Management spectrum purchase8

US wireless market (MoffettNathanson estimate)235

EchoStar spectrum deal (Sep 2025)

17 $bn

Grain Management spectrum purchase

8 $bn

US wireless market (MoffettNathanson estimate)

235 $bn

Data from the article text

European spectrum backdrop

The European Union has reserved most of the licences up for reallocation in 2027 for domestic providers, according to N-tv. Deutsche Telekom plans to bid for them together with Telefonica of Spain, Vodafone of the United Kingdom and Orange of France. Satellite telephony through standard smartphones is gaining importance worldwide. Earlier devices used for calls in rough terrain or disaster zones are special units whose antennas need a clear view of the sky.