SpaceX claims Starlink Mobile will be better than AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
SpaceX claims Starlink Mobile will be better than AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
SpaceX 声称 Starlink Mobile 将优于 AT&T、T-Mobile 和 Verizon
SpaceX says it has a plan for Starlink Mobile to compete against the big three wireless carriers and take a large number of customers away from them. SpaceX has so far partnered with traditional mobile carriers to supplement their ground-based networks with Starlink satellite capacity, mainly to ensure coverage from space in dead zones not reached by cell towers. SpaceX 表示，他们已制定了一项计划，旨在让 Starlink Mobile 与美国三大无线运营商竞争，并从它们手中抢走大量客户。到目前为止，SpaceX 一直与传统移动运营商合作，利用 Starlink 的卫星容量来补充其地面网络，主要是为了确保在手机信号塔无法覆盖的盲区实现太空信号覆盖。
But SpaceX is buying spectrum licenses that would let it offer its own terrestrial service to compete directly against the big carriers, and the firm’s top executives said in yesterday’s earnings call they plan to do just that. “The spectrum that we purchased from EchoStar does have terrestrial components, so we definitely intend to build out the terrestrial component,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in response to questions on the earnings call. “So you will have not only the capacity from the satellites themselves, but you will have a buildout of the terrestrial, basically the hardware and systems necessary to make a true mobile service exactly what you want it to be.” 但 SpaceX 正在购买频谱许可证，这将使其能够提供自己的地面服务，直接与大型运营商竞争。该公司高管在昨天的财报电话会议上表示，他们正计划这样做。“我们从 EchoStar 购买的频谱确实包含地面组件，因此我们绝对打算构建地面部分，”SpaceX 总裁 Gwynne Shotwell 在回答财报电话会议上的提问时表示。“因此，你不仅将拥有来自卫星本身的容量，还将拥有地面设施的建设，即实现真正移动服务所需的硬件和系统，使其达到你所期望的效果。”
Shotwell said that AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile make roughly $600 billion a year combined, “and I anticipate us to be able to acquire quite a few of their customers because I think our service will be better. We will eliminate dead zones, leveraging the, basically the satellites in orbit. It will be better during any sort of natural disaster.” Shotwell 表示，AT&T、Verizon 和 T-Mobile 合计年收入约为 6000 亿美元，“我预计我们能够获得他们相当多的客户，因为我认为我们的服务会更好。我们将利用轨道上的卫星消除信号盲区。在任何自然灾害期间，我们的服务表现都会更好。”
Describing plans for next-generation Starlink mobile satellites, Shotwell said that SpaceX “will start to fly the satellites next year, and we will start providing service end of next year.” 在描述下一代 Starlink 移动卫星的计划时，Shotwell 表示，SpaceX “将于明年开始发射这些卫星，并于明年年底开始提供服务。”
Starlink plans small base stations instead of big towers
Starlink 计划使用小型基站而非大型信号塔
As we’ve written before, there are technical challenges for SpaceX to compete against major carriers instead of merely partnering with them. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have more spectrum than SpaceX, cell towers throughout the US, and long track records of providing nationwide mobile service. 正如我们之前所写，SpaceX 若要与大型运营商竞争而非仅仅与其合作，将面临技术挑战。AT&T、T-Mobile 和 Verizon 拥有的频谱比 SpaceX 多，在美国各地设有手机信号塔，并且在提供全国性移动服务方面拥有长期记录。
“Unless Starlink can secure an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) agreement from one of the carriers, which would provide a baseline of coverage, it’s extraordinarily challenging to imagine a direct-to-consumer service from Starlink that could be competitive with carrier services in the next five years,” telecom analyst Craig Moffett said, according to Reuters. 据路透社报道，电信分析师 Craig Moffett 表示：“除非 Starlink 能从其中一家运营商那里获得移动虚拟网络运营商 (MVNO) 协议以提供基础覆盖，否则很难想象 Starlink 的直接面向消费者的服务在未来五年内能与运营商服务竞争。”
T-Mobile has already partnered with SpaceX, while AT&T and Verizon have deals with satellite company AST SpaceMobile. But all three big carriers seem to want non-SpaceX satellite providers to help fill in dead spots in their networks. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon recently announced a joint venture to pool spectrum “and help satellite providers reach more customers through a unified platform.” T-Mobile 已经与 SpaceX 建立了合作关系，而 AT&T 和 Verizon 则与卫星公司 AST SpaceMobile 达成了协议。但三大运营商似乎都希望非 SpaceX 的卫星提供商来帮助填补其网络中的盲区。AT&T、T-Mobile 和 Verizon 最近宣布成立一家合资企业，旨在汇集频谱，“并通过统一平台帮助卫星提供商触达更多客户。”
Shotwell and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk indicated the firm won’t build large cell towers. Instead, the terrestrial component will consist of “little femtocells around the country,” Shotwell said. She said the plan is to put “a cellular base station on the, basically, the gear that holds a Starlink broadband dish.” Shotwell 和 SpaceX 首席执行官埃隆·马斯克表示，该公司不会建造大型手机信号塔。相反，地面组件将由“全国各地的小型毫微微基站 (femtocells)”组成，Shotwell 说道。她表示，计划是“在支撑 Starlink 宽带天线的设备上安装一个蜂窝基站。”
Musk seemed to indicate that future Starlink dishes used by homes and businesses could double as cellular base stations. “Instead of having to deploy these very expensive and difficult-to-locate large cellular base stations, we feel reasonably confident that we can deploy a large number of sort of small stations,” he said. “Essentially, they’re really just Starlink dishes that also provide connectivity in the mobile spectrum bands, and have them be all over the place.” 马斯克似乎暗示，未来家庭和企业使用的 Starlink 天线可以兼作蜂窝基站。“我们不需要部署那些非常昂贵且难以选址的大型蜂窝基站，我们有相当大的信心可以部署大量的小型基站，”他说。“本质上，它们就是 Starlink 天线，同时也提供移动频谱频段的连接，并让它们遍布各地。”
Musk said, “Starlink antennas are located on the roofs of houses and businesses. They’ve got a clear view for providing connectivity directly to cellphones on the ground, and in fact, providing connectivity that is, we think, probably better and higher bandwidth than what is currently available from cellular providers.” 马斯克表示：“Starlink 天线位于房屋和企业的屋顶上。它们视野开阔，可以直接为地面的手机提供连接，事实上，我们认为这种连接可能比目前蜂窝运营商提供的连接更好、带宽更高。”
Capacity limits
容量限制
SpaceX is buying 65 MHz of nationwide spectrum licenses from EchoStar in a few chunks between 1.695 GHz and 2.2 GHz. EchoStar’s 2 GHz spectrum licenses include rights for both terrestrial and satellite deployments, SpaceX has said. While the FCC approved the deal in May, the transaction requires regulatory approvals from outside the US and is scheduled to be completed by November 30, 2027. SpaceX has said it will have access to the spectrum before that time because the licenses will be temporarily transferred to a trust held for the benefit of SpaceX. SpaceX 正在从 EchoStar 购买 65 MHz 的全国性频谱许可证，分几块分布在 1.695 GHz 到 2.2 GHz 之间。SpaceX 表示，EchoStar 的 2 GHz 频谱许可证包括地面和卫星部署的权利。虽然美国联邦通信委员会 (FCC) 已于 5 月批准了该交易，但该交易仍需获得美国境外的监管批准，预计将于 2027 年 11 月 30 日完成。SpaceX 表示，在此之前它将能够使用该频谱，因为许可证将暂时转移给一个为 SpaceX 利益而持有的信托机构。
Nationwide, approximately 1.1 GHz of licensed spectrum was allocated to mobile operators at the beginning of last year, wireless lobby group CTIA said in a January 2025 report. “It makes no sense for SpaceX to try to replicate what terrestrial players have built over 30 years with 1,000 MHz between them, with 65 MHz,” New Street Research analyst David Barden said, according to Reuters. 无线行业游说团体 CTIA 在 2025 年 1 月的一份报告中称，去年年初，全国范围内约有 1.1 GHz 的许可频谱分配给了移动运营商。据路透社报道，New Street Research 分析师 David Barden 表示：“SpaceX 试图用 65 MHz 的频谱去复制地面运营商 30 年来用 1000 MHz 频谱建立起来的网络，这毫无意义。”
SpaceX probably isn’t done acquiring spectrum licenses. A Semafor report said SpaceX “has been hunting for spectrum that works well in cities and dense areas,” and “is considering buying competitors to acquire the spectrum or competing at a government auction set for next year.” SpaceX 可能还没有停止收购频谱许可证。Semafor 的一份报告称，SpaceX “一直在寻找在城市和人口密集地区表现良好的频谱”，并且“正在考虑收购竞争对手以获取频谱，或者参加定于明年举行的政府拍卖。”
Starlink will be able to offer service from both the ground and space, but that won’t necessarily give it as much capacity as the major mobile carriers. Starlink satellite capacity limits have always been evident in its home Internet service, with the company charging higher prices in congested areas and imposing “demand surcharges” of up to $1,500. Starlink 将能够同时提供地面和太空服务，但这并不一定能使其拥有与大型移动运营商相当的容量。Starlink 的卫星容量限制在其家庭互联网服务中一直很明显，该公司在拥堵地区收取更高的价格，并征收高达 1500 美元的“需求附加费”。
Shotwell didn’t reveal cost of building network. Starlink deployed about 650 Direct to Cell (D2C) satellites under existing authorizations and is seeking FCC approval to launch up to 15,000 next-generation mobile satellites. SpaceX told the Canadian government in a filing that it “will begin launching its next-generation Starlink direct-to-device satellites with service beginning by late 2027,” and launch thousands of these upgraded cellular satellites. Shotwell 没有透露建设网络的成本。Starlink 在现有授权下部署了约 650 颗直接连接手机 (D2C) 的卫星，并正在寻求 FCC 批准发射多达 15,000 颗下一代移动卫星。SpaceX 在提交给加拿大政府的一份文件中表示，它“将于 2027 年底开始发射其下一代 Starlink 直接连接设备卫星并开始提供服务”，并将发射数千颗此类升级后的蜂窝卫星。