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

T-Mobile US Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) 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 (NASDAQ:SATS) 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 (NASDAQ:AMZN) 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. (NASDAQ:UAL) 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.

Price Action: TMUS gained 0.13% to $220.00 during Pre-market trading on Friday.

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