SpaceX Reportedly in Talks to Buy Boost Mobile or Use Its Network
Key points
- SpaceX is reportedly in talks to buy Boost Mobile from EchoStar, or to use its network for Starlink mobile service, according to The Washington Post.
- Elon Musk reportedly spoke with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen about the deal, Light Reading says.
- Buying Boost Mobile would be a shortcut for SpaceX to become a US mobile carrier. Wccftech calls it a way around the wholesale deals AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have built to keep SpaceX out.
- Wccftech expects the deal could draw a long legal fight, and says Boost Mobile's existing wholesale agreements might not carry over to SpaceX.
- SpaceX and EchoStar already have a long working relationship, which Wccftech says raises the odds of a deal.
- Nothing has been announced by SpaceX or EchoStar. The talks are reported, not confirmed.
SpaceX is reportedly in talks to buy Boost Mobile, the wireless brand owned by EchoStar, or to use its network for a Starlink mobile service. The Washington Post reported the talks. Light Reading says Elon Musk discussed the idea with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen. Neither SpaceX nor EchoStar has announced a deal.
The move would give SpaceX a fast way to become a US phone carrier. Boost Mobile is an existing carrier with customers and its own service, so SpaceX would not have to build one from scratch. Wccftech says this is a way around the barrier AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have put up against SpaceX through their wholesale network deals. Those deals let smaller brands, known as MVNOs, run service over the big carriers’ networks.
Wccftech also warns the path is not clear. It expects a deal like this could lead to a long legal fight, and says Boost Mobile’s current wholesale agreements may not transfer to SpaceX. It adds that SpaceX and EchoStar already have a deep, long-running relationship, which makes an agreement more likely. The Starlink Mobile brand is where SpaceX’s phone service plans would land if a deal goes through.
Sources
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