According to The Washington Post, SpaceX is seeking to acquire Boost Mobile from EchoStar. If the deal is completed, it will help this company, owned by Elon Musk, to create a hybrid network that combines satellites with cellular networks and may propel it to become one of the top four wireless operators in the United States.

This space launch company has been trying to enter the cellular connectivity field, and in 2024, it launched satellite access services to T-Mobile users. Last year, SpaceX purchased wireless spectrum worth $17 billion from EchoStar for cellular services. This spectrum may help its Starlink services better cover areas inside buildings, which is currently a challenge for such services to achieve.

At the time, Musk mentioned this spectrum acquisition on X, saying, "This is the last crucial piece of the puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete telephone coverage in the United States." However, if Musk is still seeking access to terrestrial networks, then it is clearly not the last piece of the puzzle.

Reports indicate that Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, discussed the acquisition of mobile virtual network operator Boost Mobile directly with Charlie Egan ( Charlie Ergen ), the chairman of EchoStar, in October. EchoStar has a total of approximately 7.5 million customers between Boost Mobile and its another mobile service, GenMobile.

Elon Musk also approached AT &T, T-Mobile, and Verizon with the intention of purchasing their network capacity. All three companies rejected Musk's offers, yet they may still have a say in the acquisition of Boost Mobile by SpaceX. Boost does not operate its own base stations but rents capacity from AT &T and T-Mobile; this may require the approval of those companies for the relevant transactions. Sources who provided information to The Washington Post stated that network leases are generally not transferable.

The number of subscribers for these three major operators all exceeds 100 million, far higher than Boost Mobile. However, although the acquisition will immediately increase the number of subscribers for SpaceX, the true value of the transaction lies in enabling the company to obtain access to terrestrial cellular networks.

Obtaining access to the base stations rented by Boost Mobile will significantly expand the coverage area – Boost currently covers most of the 48 states in the contiguous United States – allowing Starlink to provide coverage when the device is outdoors, and for areas where Starlink signal is unavailable, mobile phone base stations will take over the device connection.