SpaceX is looking to buy Boost Mobile from EchoStar, according to The Washington Post. The report says the deal would help SpaceX build a hybrid cellular-satellite network and could move it into fourth place among U.S. wireless providers.
SpaceX bought $17 billion worth of wireless spectrum from EchoStar last year. Elon Musk said on X at the time that the purchase was "the last critical piece of the spectrum puzzle needed for SpaceX to provide complete phone coverage in America." The report suggests Musk still wants access to terrestrial networks.
According to the report, Musk spoke directly with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen in October about acquiring Boost Mobile. EchoStar has about 7.5 million customers across Boost Mobile and GenMobile. Musk has also approached AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon about buying capacity on their networks. The report says all three rejected him.
Boost does not operate its own towers. It leases capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile, and those carriers may need to approve any deal. Sources told The Post that network leases are usually nontransferable.
The report says the main value of the deal would be access to terrestrial cellular networks. That access could let Starlink cover devices outdoors and rely on cell towers where Starlink signals cannot reach.