Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX) may be close to sending another message to the telecom giants: we are seriously coming for you.
The company is eyeing the purchase of 80,000 cell sites across the US, Bloomberg reported on Friday. SpaceX is reportedly in talks with two of the companies, Crown Castle and American Tower, among the largest owners of cellular towers.
Shares of AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ), and T-Mobile (TMUS) traded sharply lower in pre-market trading.
Earlier this month, SpaceX said it acquired a nationwide low-band spectrum portfolio.
Concerns had already escalated across Wall Street that Starlink could disrupt legacy wireless operators like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile by transitioning from a rural broadband service into a direct mobile competitor.
Following its strategic acquisition of terrestrial spectrum and rapid deployment of advanced satellites, SpaceX had laid the groundwork to launch its own standalone cellular network alongside its direct-to-cell capabilities.
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