What the SpaceX IPO filing says about Starlink Mobile’s wireless ambitions

SpaceX’s highly anticipated S-1 filing is the latest reminder that Starlink Mobile’s ambitions go beyond filling dead zones in mostly rural areas. “While we expect Starlink Mobile service today to be most impactful for customers in remote areas uncovered by terrestrial mobile networks … we will compete to be the preferred connectivity experience to our customers no matter where they are located, whether in rural, suburban, or urban areas,” SpaceX said in the filing. Those ambitions are already shaping carriers’ strategies. SpaceX’s IPO, which could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, is seen by some as the catalyst that led AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to announce a joint venture that will see them pooling their resources in the satellite direct-to-device space. The JV is a way for the carriers to create a D2D ecosystem that includes the likes of AST SpaceMobile and Amazon Leo rather than cede the D2D market to the now-dominant Starlink.