SpaceX Eyes 80,000 US Cell Sites to Become a Carrier

SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, is reportedly making extensive preparations to enter the US mobile carrier business directly. According to industry sources, it plans to secure access to at least 80,000 cell sites and is in talks with Crown Castle Inc., one of the country's largest tower owners.

The goal is to compete head-on with established carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T. SpaceX is said to be considering combining a terrestrial cell-site network with its own constellation offering direct-to-cell connectivity. In other words, the company wants to move beyond being a satellite-only player and build a two-layer network.

Access to half of the nation's towers

The reported figure of 80,000 sites equals roughly half of the approximately 158,500 towers currently operating in the United States. If such access materializes, SpaceX could gain broad terrestrial coverage across the country without having to build towers from scratch. Because tower companies commonly lease their infrastructure to multiple carriers, a deal of this kind could speed a new entrant's arrival in the market.

Crown Castle CEO Chris Hillabrant did not give a direct answer when asked on a recent earnings call about a possible partnership with SpaceX, Amazon or other satellite services. He said he did not want to get into customer-specific details, but added that listeners could assume all parties are in discussions. That response suggests the talks may not be limited to SpaceX alone.

Spectrum and satellite moves

The development follows other steps SpaceX has taken in recent weeks. This month the company bought a portfolio of low-band spectrum licenses. In the same period, the FCC approved the deployment of 15,000 upgraded V2 Starlink Mobile satellites.

According to SpaceX, these steps will clear the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major carrier in the US. Last year the company also bought 2 GHz spectrum from EchoStar for $17 billion. Spectrum is the scarce, valuable resource carriers use to transmit signals, so these purchases can be seen as cornerstones of SpaceX's carrier ambitions.

Pairing satellites with ground networks

Direct-to-cell connectivity means satellites can communicate with standard smartphones without specialized hardware. The technology aims to provide a connection in areas outside regular coverage. Adding terrestrial cell sites could, in turn, support capacity and connection quality in urban and high-demand areas.

The outcome of the talks and the terms of any deal remain unclear. Still, taken together, the spectrum purchases, satellite approvals and bid for tower access suggest SpaceX is serious about becoming a carrier. Whether a concrete agreement emerges in the coming period will determine how quickly the company's push into the US mobile market advances.