SpaceX’s Telecom Dreams
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What’s Elon Musk planning for cellphones?
I’ve been hearing folks in the satellite, telecom and space industries discuss this for years. It is a question that gained traction as Musk’s SpaceX spooled up a big business providing home-broadband using the company’s Starlink fleet—and more recently started providing limited connections for phones in remote areas through carriers, including T-Mobile.
Could a bigger phone push be far behind? Some evidence is trickling out.
Point one: Some investors in SpaceX have seen a prototype handset-style device, my Journal colleagues reported this week. People familiar with the device described it as slimmer than an iPhone and running on a proprietary operating system.
Point two: In the run-up to SpaceX’s massive public offering last month, longtime company president Gwynne Shotwell talked about possibly building out a ground network to provide mobile service, Patience Haggin and I found for a separate story. The company has also considered partnering with a cellular provider.
A big part of SpaceX’s future will be using Starlink satellites to connect mobile devices. Possibly rolling out a proprietary handheld device and spending big to bolster its satellite connections with ground-based infrastructure would clearly demonstrate the scale of SpaceX’s ambition—and likely prompt responses from rivals.