SpaceX targets early 2028 for its own direct-to-device mobile service
SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell says the company will switch on its own direct-to-device mobile service in early 2028, after launching a second-generation Starlink Mobile constellation through 2027 and folding in acquired low-band spectrum.
SpaceX plans to switch on its direct-to-device (D2D) mobile service in early 2028, after launching a second-generation Starlink Mobile constellation through 2027 and integrating spectrum it is acquiring.
President Gwynne Shotwell told the company’s third-quarter earnings call on 20 October that the low-band spectrum SpaceX agreed to buy earlier this month, combined with the Federal Communications Commission’s approval to launch 15,000 next-generation V2 satellites, “pave the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major mobile carrier in the US”.
On 8 October, SpaceX struck a deal with Grain Management for up to 14MHz of paired spectrum in the 800MHz band, expected to close in the first half of 2027 subject to regulatory approval.
Shotwell described “smaller radios” — not quite tower-capable — that SpaceX could mount on homes and businesses where Starlink is already installed: “We will basically leverage the real estate from Starlink installs and other towers.” SpaceX plans to pair its satellites with ground-based radios to provide 5G coverage, though many industry executives regard the plan as “far-fetched”.
Chief executive Elon Musk said a more detailed presentation may be needed to explain the strategy, telling the call he sees “a clear path to several hundred billion dollars a year in connectivity revenue”.
SpaceX also reported third-quarter net income of $4.4 billion against a $1.1 billion loss a year earlier, on revenue of $14.6 billion, up 161%. Starlink had 13.6 million consumer broadband subscribers, and Starlink Mobile topped 22 million monthly users, up 37%.
Sources: Mobile World Live; TeslaNorth.
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