Latest trademark suggests Starlink Mobile cellular service may be inevitable, but when?

Starlink has been transforming the way people connect to the internet for over six years now, and during that time the company has grown significantly in both subscribers and ambition. It initially focused on satellite ISP services, but in 2022 it announced a partnership with T-Mobile to provide satellite features for cellular subscribers as well. This collaboration eventually led to T-Satellite by Starlink, which offers limited connectivity in areas where cellular towers are unavailable. As first spotted by PC Mag, it now appears that a new trademark suggests Starlink’s mobile ambitions likely extend far beyond this.

SpaceX filed for a new trademark on October 16 for what it refers to as “Starlink Mobile”, which isn’t too surprising. After all, this comes shortly after Musk hinted at the long-term possibility of Starlink Mobile as a stand-alone service back in September.

According to the filing, the trademark would apply to a wide range of communications and telecommunications services, including “cellular personal communication services” and delivery of “video and data to mobile phones and smart devices”. Starlink also filed for a “powered by Starlink” trademark, which aligns with its strategy of partnering with cellular providers outside the US, such as KDDI in Japan and Rogers in Canada.

So what does all this mean? Most likely, the trademark was filed with long-term goals in mind rather than any immediate play. The news follows Starlink’s recent acquisition of terrestrial bandwidth from Boost Mobile’s parent company, EchoStar. This itself was only a few months after Musk confirmed that the company would likely offer full cellular service eventually.

To be fair, Musk only raised the possibility after prompting from the All-In Podcast team back in September. At the time, he acknowledged the barriers to such a future, including the need for compatible hardware across all phones, which might take a few years. Even so, Musk said there would likely come a day when you can “have Starlink like you have an AT&T, or T-Mobile, or Verizon, or whatever”. He also emphasized that Starlink is “not going to put the other carriers out of business. They are still going to be around because they own a lot of spectrum”.

In reality, Starlink Mobile may still be years away, at least in a fully realized form. Could it appear much earlier as an open beta or limited offering? It is certainly possible. Starlink could use its existing relationships with carriers such as T-Mobile to form MVNO agreements that would let it sell services under its own name, combining Starlink satellite access with a partner cellular network for everyday connectivity.

Prepaid brands are already gaining momentum heavily right now, and entering the market early would help Starlink build recognition before a larger cellular push. This approach would resemble what Boost Mobile attempted, although that brand’s ambitious plans have stalled. Starlink, however, has the brand recognition and financial resources necessary to attempt a “fourth major carrier” move in a way EchoStar and Boost never could.

Of course, this is still speculation. The bottom line is that while Starlink Mobile is unlikely to launch soon, it seems increasingly clear that Starlink intends to pursue something in this direction within the next few years.