T-Mobile rejects SpaceX MVNO proposal, CEO Srini Gopalan says
T-Mobile has decided not to team up with SpaceX for a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) deal, which would have let SpaceX use T-Mobile's network to offer its own wireless service.
CEO Srini Gopalan explained the proposal just did not fit with T-Mobile's strategy for growing its market and reach.
T-Mobile prioritizes 5G and 6G
Right now, T-Mobile is putting its energy into boosting its 5G network and prepping for the next big thing: 6G.
The company feels satellite connections (like those from SpaceX) are only really useful in super remote places, since hardly anyone uses them: just 0.0002% of its current network traffic comes from satellite.
Even though SpaceX wants to expand in the US with more cell sites and new Starlink satellites, carriers like T-Mobile are not rushing into deeper partnerships just yet.