T-Mobile CEO: Starlink Isn't a Threat to 5G Home Internet

T-Mobile's CEO, Srini Gopalan, expressed confidence that Starlink does not represent a competitive threat to the carrier's fixed wireless 5G Home Internet service. During a recent earnings call, Gopalan maintained that fixed wireless access (FWA) is currently a superior product across the nation compared to low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet. He acknowledged the growth of satellite services but believes the market is large enough for both.

Gopalan dismissed the idea of partnering with a satellite provider to free up spectrum, emphasizing FWA's advantages. While T-Mobile has a partnership with SpaceX for phone connectivity via Starlink, the dish-based Starlink directly competes with T-Mobile's FWA for home internet customers in underserved areas. T-Mobile's FWA uses excess 5G spectrum capacity, offering speeds from 170Mbps to 500Mbps. Starlink provides speeds from 100Mbps to 300Mbps, with plans for future upgrades.

André Almeida, T-Mobile's Chief Broadband Officer, added that satellite internet services are likely to experience network congestion in areas already saturated with subscribers. He noted that two-thirds of T-Mobile's FWA customers are in the top 100 markets, which are precisely where satellite broadband capacity could be constrained due to beam sizes. T-Mobile FWA primarily targets urban areas, whereas Starlink can be deployed nationwide.