Elon Musk is targeting a $235 billion wireless market with a new mobile service

Elon Musk just made a run at America's top telecom companies, but every major carrier shut him down according to The Washington Post. SpaceX, the rocket company, approached Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T for access to their massive cell networks to launch a mobile phone service.

The giant carriers all said no, rattling an industry that commands a $235 billion U.S. wireless market. Now, Musk may have found a back door. SpaceX has held talks with Boost Mobile's parent company EchoStar in recent months about launching a signature wireless service.

Musk himself met with EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen last month to discuss a potential deal that could involve SpaceX acquiring Boost Mobile or leasing its network access. That network access is currently leased from AT&T and T-Mobile US, though transfer agreements could require carrier permission.

SpaceX wants a built-out mobile network to turn its 12,000 satellites into a major revenue source and fund a human settlement on Mars. SpaceX chief financial officer Bret Johnsen recently laid out the company's aim to become a major U.S. mobile carrier.

The company also agreed to buy $8 billion of wireless spectrum licenses for cell service in places satellites cannot reach. Traditional carriers are watching closely as Musk pushes to expand his empire.

Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, AI-edited