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Starlink mobile threat has been exaggerated, says T-Mobile CEO

Boss of US network sceptical that Elon Musk’s planned entry into cell market will solve customer problems

Srini Gopalan believes satellite technology would remain ‘complementary’ to existing networks© Karen Dias/FT

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Kieran Smith in New York and Megan Snaith in London

PublishedAug 7 2026

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The chief executive of T-Mobile said the threat posed to mobile operators from satellite companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink has been exaggerated and that he struggled to see which consumer problems they would solve by entering the market.

“You’ve got to ask the question of ‘What is the gap in the market that they’re looking to serve?’ Srini Gopalan told the FT in an interview.

“I always prefer starting these conversations back from the customer: Why would a customer buy a new cellular service? Where do they go? What’s their differentiation? It’s clearly not having a broad network,” he said.

Gopalan’s comments came before Musk confirmed this week that SpaceX, owner of satellite internet provider Starlink, plans to build out a US mobile service — confirming an FT report from late June.

On SpaceX’s earnings call on Tuesday, Musk said Starlink’s terrestrial cellular network would “probably” have better connectivity and “higher bandwidth than what is currently available from cellular providers”.

Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said she anticipated being able to “acquire quite a few” customers from the big three US mobile network operators — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

SpaceX would launch Starlink Mobile satellites next year and planned to begin its service at the end of 2027, Shotwell added.

Gopalan said he believed satellite technology would remain “complementary” to existing networks. To date, SpaceX has granted telecoms groups, including T-Mobile, access to its satellites to supplement their existing network coverage in rural areas.

T-Mobile’s chief refused to comment on reports that the company has been in talks with its majority owner Deutsche Telekom over a mega-merger that would value the combined company at an estimated $267bn.

“Look, there’s nothing much to say . . . we don’t comment on speculation,” he said, adding that the noise around the situation had not distracted the business.

A person familiar with the matter said T-Mobile’s executives and minority investors had concerns about the proposed deal.

Gopalan, who was promoted to chief executive last November, has sought to reassure analysts and investors that T-Mobile still has significant room to grow after years of strong customer gains.

The T-Mobile boss said its low prices had “stopped AT&T and Verizon from ripping people off” during the 2010s. A 2020 merger with rival Sprint gave the company the firepower to invest in a series of network upgrades.

Following the tie-up, the Seattle-based group grew its post-paid mobile customer base from 66.6mn in 2020 to 85.6mn in 2025. However, its shares have declined about 25 per cent over the past year amid a fightback from rivals AT&T and Verizon.

“I think the most misunderstood thing from an investor perspective is just the amount of growth left in this business . . . And I think we’re ridiculously undervalued right now,” said Gopalan.

Line chart of Share price, $ showing T-Mobile shares are giving up recent gains

Gopalan said he aimed to more than double T-Mobile’s broadband customer base to 20mn in the next four years. The T-Mobile boss also wanted to increase the company’s market share in rural areas, which he said stood at 24 per cent.

Gopalan is targeting the 20mn “families and businesses” in the US who chose their mobile provider based on network quality.

David Barden, partner at New Street Research, said T-Mobile had “forged a premium position” in mobile broadband “against all odds” and that the company has a long runway for growth.

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