Spacex eyes mobile market dominance with land-based network

Elon Musk's SpaceX is officially gunning for a piece of the US mobile market, with a potential land-based network that could challenge the likes of Verizon and AT&T.

Spacex to build own cellular network, confirms gwynne shotwell

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed the ambitious plan during an IPO roadshow, confirming long-rumored speculation that the company wants to partner with existing carriers less.

The tech giant's Starlink division has made waves with satellite internet, but a terrestrial network would allow SpaceX to reach far beyond its current rural customer base.

Building its own network would also give SpaceX more control over its customers and avoid potential disputes with carriers over revenue sharing, as seen in its partnership with T-Mobile.

While some analysts believe the move may be a bluff to extract better terms from the telecom giants, the scale of the undertaking - requiring billions in spectrum purchases and infrastructure costs - suggests a genuine commitment to expanding its footprint.

SpaceX currently holds a paltry 65MHz of spectrum, dwarfed by the combined 1,020MHz of the Big Three. But with an IPO cash injection and potential spectrum acquisitions, the company may be poised to muscle in on the lucrative mobile market.