Even Elon Musk gets told no. He asked Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile for a way onto their networks, and the Big Three reportedly passed, so SpaceX may be shopping for a SpaceX Boost Mobile deal instead. Your next phone carrier could end up with a rocket company’s name on it.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that SpaceX has held talks with EchoStar about buying Boost Mobile or tapping its network, according to TechCrunch’s rundown of the report. The Post cited people familiar with the talks. Neither company has confirmed anything, and I found no on-the-record statement from SpaceX or EchoStar.
Treat this as a report, not a done deal.
The SpaceX Boost Mobile Talks, in Plain English
Here is what the Post reports. Musk spoke directly with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen, and Benzinga, relaying the Post, says they met last month. The talks are described as preliminary. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all turned down his requests for network access.
So why Boost? Because it is a phone company that already exists (a surprisingly handy quality). Boost is a virtual carrier, meaning it rents capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile instead of owning every tower. It ended 2025 with 7.5 million subscribers, per Deadline. Buy it, and you skip the years of building customers from scratch.
For a deeper look at the tangle, read our breakdown of whether Musk can buy Boost while AT&T and T-Mobile control its network.
Why Musk Wants a SpaceX Wireless Carrier
This is not a random shopping trip. SpaceX paid about $8 billion last month for nationwide low-band cellular spectrum, according to Fast Company. SpaceX’s CFO has said the company wants to become a major US mobile carrier.
Starlink had 13.6 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, up 90% from a year earlier. Starlink is also a big part of the company’s revenue story, as one buyer reportedly drives 34.5% of SpaceX’s revenue.
Building your own network is the slow route. Bloomberg reported last week that SpaceX wants at least 80,000 cell sites. Verizon’s CEO says that would take four to six years. Musk’s own estimate is about half that.
Either way, that is a long wait for a man who does not like waiting.
Here’s the thing for your wallet: a fourth national carrier would be a real competitor in a roughly $235 billion US wireless market. That figure is cited by Fast Company, though I could not trace it to a specific study. More competition is how phone bills usually come down. It is also why the Big Three are not rolling out the welcome mat. If Musk Boost Mobile becomes real, that pressure lands on them first.
The Catch in the SpaceX EchoStar Talks: Who Gets a Vote
Boost’s deals with AT&T and T-Mobile are not simple to hand off. The Post says network leases are usually nontransferable, so those two rivals may have a say in any sale. One analyst called that framing a “gross understatement,” per Fierce Network.
That is the irony. SpaceX could buy the front door and still need the keys from the people who just told it no.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said last week there are “no back doors” to its network agreements. The SpaceX EchoStar talks may hinge on exactly that point.
How the Market Reacted
Investors noticed fast. EchoStar shares rose more than 3% on Monday. AST SpaceMobile, which also sells phone service from space, fell about 11%. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile were trading lower.
Regulators may weigh in too. Analysts see political risk because of Musk’s ties to Republicans, but they are unsure that would turn into opposition to a deal that adds competition. Musk’s political entanglements are a recurring wildcard, as his unsourced Microsoft post showed.
So watch for an on-the-record word from SpaceX or EchoStar, or a formal filing. SpaceX’s spectrum purchase is expected to close in the first half of 2027.
If the SpaceX Boost Mobile idea works, the question is not whether you can get Starlink on your phone. It is whether Verizon will still be answering Musk’s calls.
