SpaceX

US Mobile and Starlink have launched limited-time bundles that combine Starlink residential service with US Mobile’s unlimited mobile plans under a single account and bill. Entry pricing starts at $47 per month, which effectively blends a $30 Starlink residential tier (targeted around 100 Mbps) with a $17 US Mobile base unlimited plan. Higher Starlink speed tiers are available at $77 per month for a 200 Mbps option and $117 per month for a “Max” service that targets 400 Mbps or more. Compared with Starlink’s typical standalone rates of $50, $80, and $120 for the same speed tiers, the bundles represent meaningful savings for households that want both mobile and home internet.
AT&T’s five-year, $250 billion U.S. network commitment sets the tone for the next phase of fiber, 5G, and satellite convergence as traffic, AI workloads, and resilience requirements climb sharply. The 2026–2030 window aligns with the industry’s transition into 5G-Advanced (3GPP Release 18/19), the scaling of edge AI, and increased cloud traffic between homes, enterprises, and hyperscalers. Data growth is no longer linear, and the cost of downtime is rising. Large, front-loaded builds in fiber and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN), paired with new satellite overlays, are how national carriers will chase coverage, performance, and reliability targets simultaneously.
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SpaceX’s anticipated 2026 IPO is not just a space-launch story; it is a capital and scale inflection that could reorder parts of the mobile and broadband value chain. Market chatter pegs SpaceX’s IPO valuation around the trillion-plus mark with a potential multibillion-dollar primary raise, a war chest that would dwarf most rivals’ balance sheets. For telecom, the same cash advantage accelerates Starlink’s network deployment, ground infrastructure, and device partnerships—compressing the window for incumbents to respond. Starlink reports more than 9,000 satellites in orbit, 9.2 million paying customers, and over $10 billion in annual revenue.
New guidance from the NTIA signals that BEAD-funded satellite providers, including SpaceX’s Starlink, must abide by standard program terms rather than negotiate bespoke carve-outs. An updated NTIA FAQ on subgranting makes clear that states cannot waive or dilute the statutory and programmatic requirements set out in the BEAD NOFO and subsequent guidance. Payments should be tied to objective milestones and verifiable outcomes, not front-loaded without proportional performance. Performance testing, reporting, and documentation must meet program and FCC-aligned standards; subgrantees cannot unilaterally narrow test samples or exclude locations to their advantage. The FAQ effectively answers whether BEAD can be implemented on a “vendor’s terms”: it cannot.
The merger creates a $1.25 trillion private giant that fuses launch, satellites, and AI, but the strategic logic goes beyond orbiting data centers. SpaceX brings rockets, Starship scale, and the world’s largest NGSO broadband network via Starlink. xAI brings models, AI R&D, and a brand in the hottest capital market category. Together, they present a single story to investors: own the stack from compute to constellation to connectivity, on and off Earth. Consolidation gives Musk freedom to reallocate cash flows and simplifies the roadshow pitch.
TeraWave combines 5,280 low Earth orbit satellites with 128 medium Earth orbit satellites—5,408 spacecraft in total—tied together via optical inter-satellite links. The design targets global coverage with two distinct performance tiers: up to 144 Gbps symmetrical RF links per enterprise customer using Q/V-band in LEO, and optical links in MEO delivering up to 6 Tbps for high-throughput trunking between hubs. Blue Origin positions the service for point-to-point private links and enterprise-grade internet access, with an initial target of up to 100,000 customers. The company intends to launch on its own New Glenn vehicles and leverage reusable engines to scale deployment.
BlueBird 7 is slated to lift off in late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the New Glenn-3 mission. It is AST SpaceMobile’s first payload on New Glenn and the second satellite in its next-generation “Block 2” campaign, following BlueBird 6. BlueBird 7 mirrors BlueBird 6 and carries a deployable array of about 2,400 square feet—the company positions it as the largest commercial communications aperture in low Earth orbit. The design, backed by thousands of patent and patent-pending claims, is engineered to deliver peak downlink rates up to 120 Mbps directly to standard, unmodified devices for voice, data, and video.
New consumer research commissioned by Viasat and executed by GSMA Intelligence signals that non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are becoming a mainstream buying factor for mobile subscribers. The survey of more than 12,000 smartphone users across 12 countries finds persistent coverage gaps: over a third of respondents lose basic cellular service multiple times per month. That pain point is translating into intent. Roughly six in ten consumers say they would pay extra for satellite-enabled connectivity on their phones, and nearly half indicate they would switch operators if out‑of‑coverage service were included in their plan. On average, those willing to pay would accept a 5–7% uplift on their current monthly bill, with outliers such as India approaching a 9% premium.
New performance data shows U.S. WISPs are getting faster, but low‑Earth orbit players like Starlink are advancing just as quickly—and the competitive gap in rural markets is narrowing. Based on Speedtest Intelligence data from Q1 2021 to Q2 2025, eight of the larger WISPs—Starry, Resound Networks, Nextlink, Wisper Internet, Unwired Broadband, GeoLinks, Etheric Networks, and Rise Broadband—improved speeds, with download gains outpacing uploads. Starry led by a wide margin with a 202 Mbps median download in Q2 2025, followed by Resound at 99 Mbps and Nextlink at 68 Mbps; GeoLinks trailed at 23 Mbps. Crucially, only a minority of WISP users consistently achieve the FCC’s 100/20 Mbps fixed broadband benchmark.
Orange is moving to commercialize direct-to-device satellite connectivity in Europe with a carrier-branded SMS service that extends coverage beyond terrestrial reach. Orange will launch “Message Satellite,” an SMS and location-sharing service that lets smartphones connect directly to satellites when mobile or Wi‑Fi coverage is unavailable. The consumer launch in mainland France is slated for 11 December 2025, with professional and enterprise availability following in 2026. At launch, the service will be offered to Orange 5G and 5G+ customers using Google Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 devices, with additional handsets expected over time. Pricing is set at €5 per month after a six‑month free introductory period.
Amazon has moved its low Earth orbit broadband effort out of code-name mode and into a market-facing brand with strategic implications for telecom and enterprise buyers. Project Kuiper is now Amazon Leo, a direct reference to the low Earth orbit constellation underpinning the service. The rebrand signals a transition from R&D to commercial execution. Amazon reports more than 150 satellites in orbit today—roughly 153 by recent counts—following a string of successful launches and a completed prototype mission. The company says it will light up service as it adds coverage and capacity.

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