AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile Push Back as SpaceX Pursues Nationwide Wireless Network

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have spent months arguing that a satellite company would struggle to compete directly with their networks.

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile face potential new competition as SpaceX explores infrastructure deals for a nationwide wireless network. [Photo: AT&T X]

Investors, however, are increasingly concerned about the potential threat.

Shares of AT&T and T-Mobile recently saw sharp declines after reports that SpaceX was negotiating access to at least 80,000 US cell sites as it pursues plans for a fourth nationwide wireless carrier.

Verizon shares also declined, Rudro Chakravarti reported for Moneywise.

The selloff followed a letter filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by the carriers’ trade group, CTIA, after meetings with agency officials on Oct. 20.

The group warned that the commission’s decisions on network construction and deployment could have consequences for consumers who depend on increasingly greater wireless capacity.

During SpaceX’s Oct. 20 earnings call, company President Gwynne Shotwell said a new spectrum purchase and FCC approval of its next satellites would “pave the way” for Starlink Mobile to become a major US mobile carrier.

The prospect of a new nationwide competitor has unsettled an industry that has consolidated in recent years.

The United States has not had four major nationwide wireless carriers since T-Mobile completed its acquisition of Sprint in 2020.

Regulators had expected Dish Network to establish a fourth network following that merger. That strategy changed in 2025, when Dish parent EchoStar agreed to sell spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX in separate transactions.

The deals were reported at approximately $23 billion for AT&T and about $19.6 billion for SpaceX, while Boost Mobile customers were moved onto AT&T’s network.

The FCC approved the spectrum transactions in May, according to the supplied report.

SpaceX’s reported discussions over access to cell sites would represent another step toward building a terrestrial network to complement its satellite-based services.

However, acquiring spectrum and negotiating access to infrastructure do not by themselves establish that SpaceX has launched, or is guaranteed to launch, a fully operational nationwide wireless network.

Building a competitive service would require substantial investment, regulatory approvals and further infrastructure development.