'You can't break the fundamental laws of physics': T-Mobile CFO says he's not worried about Elon Musk's cellular ambitions

Elon Musk thinks Starlink tin shingle up the mobile industry, but a T-Mobile exec said its strategy should beryllium laughed retired of the room.

"It's not a competitory threat from a wireless position astatine all," T-Mobile CFO Peter Osvaldik said Wednesday astatine Citi's 2026 Global TMT Conference.

"If we, arsenic a guidance team, complete the people of 2 months, changed the strategy to really we're going to rotation retired a wireless web for illustration a twelve times, it would laughter america retired of the room and footwear maine retired of the guidance squad appropriately."

Musk and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell outlined their goals for Starlink Mobile successful the company's first net telephone successful early August.

The Big Three telecoms firms — AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile — make astir $600 cardinal a twelvemonth successful revenue. "I expect america to beryllium capable to get rather a fewer of their customers because I deliberation our work will beryllium better," Shotwell said.

She pointed to Starlink's expertise to "eliminate dormant zones" and supply sum successful distant areas done its satellites.

It has 650 direct-to-cell satellites successful orbit, arsenic good arsenic its flagship constellation of complete 10,000 satellites for broadband internet.

However, for municipality areas, satellites aren't arsenic useful arsenic compartment towers.

Starlink's satellites run successful debased Earth orbit, a fewer 100 miles supra the planet, which intends their signals scope cellphones quickly — though these signals tin beryllium blocked by emblematic metropolis infrastructure.

"You can't get done buildings, walls. You can't moreover get done a Tesla windscreen," Osvaldik said. "You tin person 1 cardinal satellites up location pinch each the spectrum successful the world, you can't break the basal laws of physics."

SpaceX isn't readying to trust only connected satellites for Starlink Mobile.

Instead of utilizing compartment towers, which are costly and difficult to install, SpaceX wants to usage a immense number of mini compartment stations, called femtocells.

"Essentially, they're really conscionable Starlink dishes that besides supply connectivity successful the mobile spectrum bands, and person them beryllium each complete the place," Musk told investors. "The Starlink antennas are located connected the roofs of houses and businesses, truthful they've sewage a clear position for providing connectivity straight to cellphones connected the ground."

Osvaldik bullied this idea, saying "everybody successful the know" is "laughing at" it because perchance 1 cardinal femtocells would beryllium required to lucifer the sum of compartment towers.

"I mean, it's conscionable not fathomable," he added.

SpaceX did not respond to a petition for comment.