SpaceX, through Starlink, is an internet service provider. In fact, it is the only profitable division of SpaceX.
But in general it is not profitable. His free cash flow for 2025 amounted to minus 9.1 billion dollars. According to the prospectus, it nevertheless sees $28.5 trillion”addressable market.” If you want to hear about SpaceX’s plans to make money in the future from CEO Elon Musk, have on it. The plan involves an artificial intelligence that learns from ancient aliens, and in this blogger’s opinion, that’s bullshit.
But right now you can – sort of – sign up with SpaceX as a mobile provider. T-Satellite from T-Mobile with Starlink uses SpaceX satellites to fill coverage gaps.
Last year, in a move that is confusing to most people (including me, to be honest) SpaceX paid $17 billion of Dish Network’s parent company, Echostar, to get its hands on a bunch of wireless spectrum. Frequencies are a tightly regulated, limited resource. It’s a bit like buying real estate in the form of a license to use certain wavelengths.
But SpaceX’s plan to become a consumer-focused mobile phone provider is taking shape. How notes BloombergSpaceX has been in talks with Charter Communications, owner of Internet provider Spectrum. Spectrum’s many, many cables are used in part to route data for cell phones, which are more cable-dependent than you might think.
According to Bloomberg, “the deal, if closed, will help SpaceX take its desired path toward becoming more of a direct-to-consumer mobile communications provider.” That’s why he bought frequencies from Echostar.
And since SpaceX already provides T-Mobile with a coverage gap service, you can clearly see that SpaceX’s own provider will be better than many others at providing coverage in hard-to-reach areas. This is mine other spectrum gaps it will need to fill to be competitivebut SpaceX’s mobile network is looking increasingly plausible.
That doesn’t quite explain the $28.5 trillion, but it’s not nothing either.
