T-Mobile CEO Says No MVNO Plans With Elon Musk's Starlink: 'It's Not Clear To Me...'

T-Mobile US Inc. CEO Srini Gopalan has said that there have been no talks of a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) partnership with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service.

No Plans For MVNO Partnership

When asked about a possible MVNO partnership with Starlink at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Gopalan said that there were no plans for it, according to a report by Fierce Network on Thursday. "We get into an MVNO when we think there’s an incremental TAM to go after," Gopalan said.

He added that the TAM could be a specific ethnic group or a specific channel play and distribution. "It’s not clear to me how a partnership with Starlink from an MVNO perspective would fit into those criteria," Gopalan said.

What Is MVNO?

An MVNO is a wireless communications service provider that does not own the infrastructure over which it provides its services, instead leasing it from traditional mobile network operators (MNO).

Starlink's T-Mobile Partnership

In October last year, Starlink announced that T-Mobile customers would be able to use continuous video calls, messaging and data services with Starlink's direct-to-cell technology.

SpaceX had also acquired EchoStar Corporation‘s AWS-4 and H-Block Spectrum licenses in a deal worth over $17 billion last year. Starlink, back in December, reported having over 9 million customers worldwide.

A Mobile Carrier Future?

Interestingly, SpaceX had filed for the “STARLINK MOBILE” trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which could be hinting at a possible cell carrier future for the service. The filing describes "two-way real-time transmission" of voice, audio, video, and data by “wireless telecommunications devices."

It's worth noting that Starlink faces competition from Amazon.com Inc.'s Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) and recently cut prices and offered free hardware, in a move that Musk said was to target a broader customer base.

Starlink also offers in-flight Wi-Fi services on multiple flight carriers. Recently, United Airlines Holdings Inc. announced that Starlink would be offered on more than 300 aircraft in the company’s fleet.

Benzinga Edge Rankings show that T-Mobile scores well on the Quality metric and offers a favorable price trend in the Long Term.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock