Deutsche Telekom CEO says Starlink Mobile needs $200 billion

On an earnings call Thursday, Höttges said he takes SpaceX “super serious,” but questioned the scale of its ambitions. He said Musk’s company has bought 76 megahertz of spectrum, compared with Deutsche Telekom’s 400, and would need to spend “triple-digit billions” to secure a larger spectrum position.

Building out the network would add to the bill, Höttges said. Deutsche Telekom has 85,000 towers; SpaceX could rent tower access, he said, but that alone could cost another $20 billion to $30 billion. Antennas and other equipment would also require investment. Höttges put the minimum total at $200 billion.

SpaceX last month outlined plans for Starlink Mobile to compete with T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon using direct-to-cell satellites alongside a terrestrial network. Reports have said the company could tap into 80,000 US cell towers and that Musk was in talks to acquire Boost Mobile. Qualcomm announced this week that SpaceX will use its cellular infrastructure technology to support the network buildout.

Höttges also warned against dismissing the potential competitive threat. He said Musk’s businesses span chipsets, data centers, AI and satellites, and suggested Starlink Mobile could combine communications with social media or AI agent models. The telecom industry, he said, should learn from automakers that ignored changes for too long. Still, Höttges argued, building a new service at this scale “is not a free lunch,” pointing to Tesla’s experience in the car industry.