Is Starlink becoming a mobile carrier? Not yet. What SpaceX is buying
Not yet. Starlink sells satellite phone coverage through about 30 mobile carriers (as of March 31, 2026), with no consumer plan, launch date or price announced, though the FCC approved 15,000 new phone satellites on October 6, 2026.
According to SpaceX's IPO roadshow, as of March 31, 2026, about 650 phone satellites in orbit reached about 1.9 billion people in about 30 countries through those carriers.
A carrier needs its own airwaves. In 2025, SpaceX agreed to pay EchoStar about $19.6 billion for 65 MHz of US airwaves, computed from two deals as announced: up to $8.5 billion cash plus up to $8.5 billion SpaceX stock, then about $2.6 billion stock. The FCC approved it on May 12, 2026; the final transfer is expected in November 2027. On October 8, 2026, SpaceX agreed to buy Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz licenses, price not disclosed, pending FCC approval.
Then satellites. The 15,000 are approved, not launched; half are due by October 7, 2032. The FCC also waived its carrier-lease rule because SpaceX is set to hold both the ground licenses and the satellites.
And customers. SpaceX reported Starlink subscribers rising from 2.3 million at the end of 2023 to 12.0 million at mid-2026, mostly home and RV internet, not phone users.
On October 8, 2026, SpaceX said, according to trade press reports, that Starlink Mobile can now become a network operator with both satellite and ground airwaves.
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