Elon Musk's SpaceX may buy Boost Mobile to make Starlink into a full-fledged carrier

SpaceX has made no secret of its plans to turn Starlink Mobile into a full-fledged US carrier, and last month itbought more spectrum to help make that happen. What it still lacks is a ground network, and last weekT-Mobile's CEO ruled out letting Starlink Mobile run on his company's network. Now, according to a new report, Elon Musk may have found a way around that problem, and it's called Boost Mobile.

Musk reportedly asked the heads of all the big three US carriers - Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile - to give SpaceX access to their networks, and all three said no, it wasn't just the magenta carrier. That could still come back to bite Musk, since a carrier's lease agreement typically can't be transferred to a new owner without the host carrier's permission. So AT&T and T-Mobile may need to sign off before a SpaceX service through Boost can actually launch - and the chances of that happening don't seem great. In August, SpaceXannounced its plans to enter the US telecom market and challenge AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and on a recent earnings call, SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen said the goal is to "become a major mobile carrier ... in the United States". The company allegedly also sees a built-out mobile network as a way to turn its more than 12,000 satellites into a significant new source of revenue. Verizon's CEO has estimated that it would take SpaceX four to six years to build out the infrastructure it needs, while Musk said it would take about half that. Musk isn't exactly known for hitting his own timelines, though. Verizon and EchoStar declined to comment for the report, while SpaceX, AT&T, and T-Mobile didn't respond. Source