SpaceX: Suddenly a competitor to T-Mobile: The Starlink antenna on the roof is to become a cell phone mast

SpaceX is turning from a partner of mobile operators into a rival. Telekom shares have been significantly in the red since Friday. An application to the US regulator FCC shows what Musk plans to do with Starlink.

Dusseldorf. US billionaire Elon Musk is planning to build a mobile network with his company SpaceX and is shocking the industry worldwide. On Monday, telecom stocks in Australia and New Zealand fell significantly. Deutsche Telekom shares have been down more than seven percent since Friday.

The reason: SpaceX acquires so-called low-band frequencies from the investment company Grain Management. They can help the company set up a mobile network in the USA. So far, the company has offered satellite connections as a supplement to the offerings of the three providers Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.

But Musk wants to become independent - and thus possibly soon a rival to T-Mobile. Musk said of the frequency purchase, which the Wall Street Journal valued at eight billion dollars: "This is the last crucial piece of the frequency spectrum puzzle that SpaceX needs for nationwide mobile phone coverage in the USA."

Until now, representatives of mobile phone companies had argued that Starlink satellite radio was not a direct competitor. The network primarily supplies customers in poorly developed and rural areas. However, it becomes difficult to get through ceilings and walls in buildings.