SpaceX reportedly seeks to buy Boost Mobile from EchoStar
TechCrunch, citing The Washington Post, reports that Elon Musk talked to EchoStar's chairman about a deal that could combine Starlink satellites with cell tower coverage.
SpaceX is looking to buy Boost Mobile from EchoStar, according to TechCrunch, citing a report from The Washington Post.
Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, reportedly spoke directly with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen in October about acquiring Boost Mobile, TechCrunch reported. Boost Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator. TechCrunch said EchoStar has about 7.5 million customers across Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile, its other mobile service.
According to TechCrunch, a deal would help SpaceX build a hybrid cellular-satellite network that could move it into fourth place among the top U.S. wireless providers. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon each have more than 100 million subscribers, the outlet said, which dwarfs Boost Mobile.
TechCrunch said the main value for SpaceX would be access to terrestrial cellular networks, not the added subscribers. Boost currently covers most of the 48 contiguous states. With access to the towers leased to Boost, Starlink could serve devices when they are outdoors, while cell towers handle devices that Starlink signals cannot reach.
SpaceX has already moved into cellular connectivity. TechCrunch noted that it rolled out satellite access to T-Mobile subscribers in 2024. The outlet also reported that SpaceX bought $17 billion worth of wireless spectrum from EchoStar last year for cellular services. That spectrum could help Starlink reach inside buildings, which it currently struggles to do, according to TechCrunch.
At the time of that spectrum purchase, Musk posted on X:
“This is the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America.”Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX
TechCrunch observed that if Musk is still looking to buy access to land-based networks, the spectrum deal apparently was not the last piece.
Several questions remain open. TechCrunch's account does not say whether EchoStar has agreed to a sale, and it gives no price or timeline. It does not say whether SpaceX, EchoStar or Musk have commented on the reported talks.
It is also unclear whether a deal could go ahead in its current form. According to TechCrunch, Musk has approached AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon about buying capacity on their networks, and all three turned him down. Boost does not operate its own towers. Instead, it leases capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile, which TechCrunch said might need to approve a deal. Sources told The Washington Post that network leases are usually nontransferable, TechCrunch reported.
This story rests on a single report: TechCrunch's account of The Washington Post's reporting. Neither the deal nor its terms have been confirmed in that report.
