SpaceX (SPCX) has executed reusable rocket landings, built the world’s largest satellite constellation, and is looking to enable computing in orbit.
Now, after transforming space infrastructure, the company is setting its sights on a far more conventional but enormous market: consumer wireless, a U.S. industry that generates over $300 billion in annual revenue
Today, Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service is designed primarily as a backup connectivity solution for areas without cellular coverage. However, recent comments from management suggest far bigger ambitions. During the company’s Q2 earnings call, SpaceX confirmed plans to deploy a terrestrial small-cell network alongside its satellite-based Direct-to-Cell system, laying the groundwork for a hybrid mobile network that could eventually compete directly with established wireless carriers.
The market is massive. Over $300 billion a year in the U.S. That said, disrupting telecom may prove more difficult than disrupting spaceflight.