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SpaceX cell sites talks target 80,000 US sites, Bloomberg says

The 80,000 sites would equal about half of the roughly 158,500 purpose-built US cell towers, Reuters noted. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile fell between 4.2% and 5% in extended trading, and no deal has been announced.

By Rowan Ashby Published 23.10.26 06:44 UTC 5 min read

SpaceX cell sites talks target 80,000 US sites, Bloomberg says — Unknown /

Key takeaways

SpaceX cell sites: according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter, SpaceX is seeking access to at least 80,000 US sites and is in talks with at least one major infrastructure company, including Crown Castle.
Reuters, relaying the report at 23:01 UTC on October 22, noted that 80,000 sites would equal about half of the roughly 158,500 purpose-built cell towers operating in the US last year, based on Wireless Infrastructure Association figures.
Crown Castle shares rose 9.46% in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile fell between 4.2% and 5% in extended trading, according to Reuters.
SpaceX, Crown Castle, American Tower and Vertical Bridge did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. No contract, price or lease term has been published.

SpaceX is in talks to access at least 80,000 US cell sites for a fourth wireless carrier, Bloomberg reported on October 22. After the SpaceX cell sites report, Crown Castle rose about 9% after hours and AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile fell. No deal is confirmed.

What happened with the SpaceX cell sites talks

Bloomberg reported on the evening of Thursday, October 22 (US time) that SpaceX is pursuing agreements with tower companies that would give it a physical footprint across at least 80,000 locations in the United States. According to the report, such deals would strengthen the company's path toward operating a fourth nationwide mobile network alongside AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Reuters carried the Bloomberg report shortly afterwards, at 23:01 UTC. The news spread quickly on social media; the market account Unusual Whales posted on X that SpaceX was "seeking access to at least 80,000 US cell tower sites," citing Bloomberg.

Crown Castle's chief executive, Christian Hillabrant, said on the company's earnings call on Wednesday, October 21, that Crown Castle was talking to "all parties," according to Reuters, but he declined to discuss specific customers.

Market reaction in extended trading

The table below summarizes the moves reported after the US market close on October 22. Figures are from extended trading and may differ from the next regular session.

Company	Ticker	Reported move (extended trading, Oct 22)	Source
Crown Castle	CCI	+9.46%	Benzinga
AT&T	T	Down, within a 4.2%–5% range for the three carriers	Reuters
Verizon	VZ	Down, within a 4.2%–5% range for the three carriers	Reuters
T-Mobile US	TMUS	Down, within a 4.2%–5% range for the three carriers	Reuters

Data as of about 23:00 UTC on October 22, 2026. Reuters did not break down the decline for each carrier.

What we know and what we don't know yet

What we know

Bloomberg and Reuters both describe the situation as talks, not signed agreements.
Crown Castle has been named as one of the companies involved. Reuters puts its US tower count at about 40,000, compared with about 42,000 US sites for American Tower and about 18,000 for privately held Vertical Bridge.
TD Cowen estimated, as cited by Reuters, that a nationwide terrestrial network would cost more than $80 billion and take many years to build.

What we don't know yet

Whether any agreement will be signed, and with which tower owners beyond Crown Castle.
The price per site, the length of any leases, and the timetable for installing equipment.
Whether the 80,000 sites would be traditional macro towers, rooftops, or a mix. SpaceX has not detailed its terrestrial hardware publicly.

Background: SpaceX's spectrum push

The report follows a series of spectrum moves by SpaceX. On October 8, 2026, SpaceX agreed to buy up to 14 MHz of paired 800 MHz low-band spectrum from Grain Management. The Wall Street Journal reported the price at about $8 billion in cash, according to TIKR, and the deal still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Crown Castle shares rose about 13% the next morning, while the three big carriers fell 5% to 7% after hours on the day of the announcement, TIKR reported. Analysts at Bernstein said at the time that the purchase kept the option of a ground network "very much alive," while noting that buying spectrum does not commit SpaceX to building on towers.

Earlier, SpaceX agreed to acquire spectrum from EchoStar. In August, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said that spectrum "does have terrestrial components," according to Wireless Estimator. At that stage, the company described small cellular radios placed alongside Starlink dishes on selected rooftops rather than large tower builds, with commercial service targeted for the end of 2027. The new report suggests the company is also weighing conventional tower infrastructure.

For more on the company's finances and corporate structure, see our coverage of SpaceX's third-quarter results, what Elon Musk has confirmed about a Tesla-SpaceX merger, and the latest on Starlink access in Ukraine.

What it means

For tower owners, a new nationwide tenant would add rent on existing sites. TIKR noted that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile were expected to generate nearly 90% of Crown Castle's 2025 site rental revenue, so another large customer would reduce that concentration. Finimize noted that more potential tenants could also improve tower owners' bargaining power when leases come up for renewal.

For the three incumbent carriers, the report points to a potentially well-funded competitor that combines satellites, newly acquired spectrum and ground sites. The extended-trading declines show that investors are taking the possibility seriously. Still, the timeline is long: TD Cowen's estimate of more than $80 billion and many years of construction suggests that any competitive impact would build gradually.

The key next steps to watch are any official statement from SpaceX or the tower companies, the FCC review of the Grain spectrum purchase, and how the shares trade in the regular session on October 23.

Frequently asked questions

Is SpaceX building its own mobile network?

SpaceX has not announced a terrestrial network build. According to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter, it is in talks for access to at least 80,000 US cell sites that could support a fourth nationwide wireless carrier. No agreement has been confirmed.

Which tower companies are in talks with SpaceX?

Bloomberg and Reuters named Crown Castle as one company in talks. Crown Castle's CEO said the company was speaking with "all parties" but would not discuss specific customers. American Tower and Vertical Bridge have not commented.

Why did AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shares fall?

Reuters reported that the three carriers fell between 4.2% and 5% in extended trading on October 22, 2026 after the Bloomberg report, as investors weighed the possibility of a well-funded new nationwide competitor.