Decoder with Nilay Patel

← Decoder with Nilay Patel17 okt · 54 min

Why Elon Musk wants to sell you cell service

Why Elon Musk wants to sell you cell service17 okt54 min

My guest today is Walter Piecyk, a telecom analyst at LightShed Partners, and we’re discussing SpaceX’s plan to become a major wireless carrier. Last week, the company agreed to buy a big chunk of low-band spectrum in its bid to build “the world’s most advanced mobile network.”

So I wanted to dig into whether SpaceX can pull this off, why Walt thinks the existing telecoms have fumbled their response to Starlink’s growing threat, and what happens when Elon Musk’s rocket company jumps headfirst into a business everyone loves to hate.

Read the full interview transcript on The Verge.

Links: 

SpaceX announces plan to become a ‘major mobile carrier’ | The Verge

SpaceX has a plan. Do the telcos? | LightShed Partners

EchoStar offloads satellite spectrum to SpaceX for $17 billion | The Verge

FCC Grants SpaceX Approval for 15,000 Direct-to-Device Satellites | Via Satellite

AT&T CEO says Elon Musk's SpaceX phone strategy not "viable" | Axios

SpaceX Sends Telecom Providers a Shot Across the Bow | WSJ

Verizon: No to an MVNO with Starlink | Fierce Network

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