SpaceX says it has a plan for Starlink Mobile to compete against the big three wireless carriers and take a large number of customers away from them. SpaceX has so far partnered with traditional mobile carriers to supplement their ground-based networks with Starlink satellite capacity, mainly to ensure coverage from space in dead zones not reached by cell towers. Describing plans for next-generation Starlink mobile satellites, Shotwell said that SpaceX “will start to fly the satellites next year, and we will start providing service end of next year.” Starlink plans small base stations instead of big towersAs we’ve written before, there are technical challenges for SpaceX to compete against major carriers instead of merely partnering with them. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have more spectrum than SpaceX, cell towers throughout the US, and long track records of providing nationwide mobile service.