SpaceX is seeking access to a minimum of 80,000 cell sites across the United States for Starlink Mobile, its attempt to become the country’s fourth major carrier, according to a Bloomberg report relayed on 23 October 2026 by PC Magazine and Yahoo Finance. Bloomberg says SpaceX is already in talks with one major cellular infrastructure provider, and in the same week Crown Castle, a US cell tower operator, told investors that SpaceX could be an “additional catalyst” for its business.
Key facts
- Bloomberg reports SpaceX wants “a minimum of 80,000 cell sites across the US” for Starlink Mobile, per Yahoo Finance.
- Crown Castle, whose business covers 40,000 towers according to Yahoo Finance, pointed to potential leasing agreements with SpaceX.
- Crown Castle also flagged a competitive threat from Starlink Mobile that could push other carriers to bolster their own networks.
- A March report prepared for the Wireless Infrastructure Association, cited by Yahoo Finance, estimates T-Mobile has rented access to 82,000 towers, AT&T 75,000 and Verizon 65,000. Neither Yahoo Finance nor PC Magazine links to the report itself, and we have not seen a public copy.
- The wireless trade group CTIA estimates the US has 442,000 cell sites in total, with small cell sites accounting for 40%, per Yahoo Finance.
Why it matters
The figure matters because of what it is being compared with. As the reports note, the 80,000 number is roughly the same scale as the tower access each of the three incumbent US carriers is estimated to have rented. If SpaceX secures that footprint, a company best known for selling satellite internet to fixed locations would be shopping for ground infrastructure on a par with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon rather than at the margins of their networks.
For readers outside the US, the reports describe a domestic American build-out only. Neither PC Magazine nor Yahoo Finance says anything about equivalent plans, Starlink prices or licensing in Africa or any other market, so nothing in this report should be read as a signal for Starlink availability elsewhere.
What Crown Castle told investors
Crown Castle said earlier that week that it estimates SpaceX could provide an additional catalyst for its business, citing both possible leases and the pressure Starlink Mobile could put on rival carriers, according to Yahoo Finance. Asked on the earnings call about SpaceX and other satellite companies, the company’s chief executive said, as quoted by Yahoo Finance: “I don’t want to get into customer details, but you can assume that we’re talking to all parties.” We identify the speaker by title only because we could not verify the name given in the source against Crown Castle’s own disclosures.
Sites, towers and femtocells
Yahoo Finance points out that Bloomberg’s report specifically uses the phrase “cell sites” rather than “cell towers”, a distinction that matters because US carriers run lower-powered small cell sites alongside their tower portfolios — so 80,000 sites need not mean 80,000 towers.
For Starlink Mobile itself, the reports say SpaceX plans to use a combination of next-generation satellites, cell towers and its own cost-effective radio transmitters, which the company calls femtocells. That mix puts terrestrial equipment at the centre of a service that began as a satellite-to-phone product, and it comes as rival telecom operators have put the build-out bill as high as $500 billion.
The leverage theory
Industry analysts have been sceptical of SpaceX’s cellular ambitions, Yahoo Finance reports, and one tracker of the tower market suggested the announcement may be doing double duty. Ken Schmidt, chief executive of Steel In The Air, which tracks cell lease negotiations, speculated that some of SpaceX’s recent moves might be about pressuring the big three carriers, whose US telecom share prices have dropped on the Starlink Mobile competitive threat.
Writing on LinkedIn, Schmidt said he hoped Starlink was serious about 80,000 sites, calling it good for consumers, the tower industry and landowners, and bad for the carriers — but added that it was also exactly what he would do to pressure the big three into signing an MVNO deal, according to Yahoo Finance.
In that reading, the cell site news could be leverage to push one of the incumbents into a resale partnership that would give SpaceX access to an existing terrestrial network. Yahoo Finance reports that executives at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have so far shot down the MVNO idea.
Background
The Bloomberg account describes SpaceX negotiating for access to steel that is already standing, alongside its push for buying more radio spectrum. That choice explains why a tower landlord can welcome a competitor to its own biggest customers: tower economics turn on tenants per structure, so a fourth national lessee adds rent without new construction.
Neither report names the cellular infrastructure provider SpaceX is said to be in talks with, gives a timetable for any leasing agreement, or puts a cost on the 80,000-site target. Crown Castle, for its part, declined to discuss customers. PC Magazine’s and Yahoo Finance’s accounts of the Bloomberg report do not differ on the core figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “small cell site”, and how many do the big US carriers run?
According to Yahoo Finance, small cell sites are built by placing backpack-sized radio transmitters on street lights, the sides of buildings or poles. The report cites Steel In The Air, which tracks cell lease negotiations, as estimating that each of the big three carriers operates between 45,000 and 90,000 outdoor small sites.
Could existing Starlink customers end up hosting Starlink Mobile equipment?
Yahoo Finance reports that SpaceX’s femtocells could also be installed in people’s homes or businesses. On the company’s earnings call that week, SpaceX suggested it could sell the femtocell equipment to existing Starlink subscribers to help bolster Starlink Mobile coverage in the US.
Is T-Mobile still Starlink’s mobile partner in the United States?
Yes. Yahoo Finance reports that T-Mobile is a SpaceX partner and the exclusive provider of the first-generation Starlink Mobile service in the US. The same report says that in recent months T-Mobile has been downplaying the satellite connectivity and has even signalled it could use a different satellite provider.
Why have industry analysts been sceptical about SpaceX’s cellular plans?
Yahoo Finance reports that analysts expect building the network to cost SpaceX tens of billions of dollars. The report adds that the company will also need to invest heavily in securing additional radio spectrum and in building out its retail and customer support infrastructure.
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