SpaceX slips Starlink 5G-quality mobile service to H1 2028

SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen told Goldman's Communacopia conference that Starlink aims to turn on a full 5G-quality mobile satellite service to smartphones in the first half of 2028, later than the end-2027 standalone-customer target given on the August earnings call. He said a new direct-to-device constellation based on the V3 bus will start deploying via Starship in 2027, and that EchoStar mid-band spectrum is already FCC-approved for space and terrestrial use. Johnsen left open whether SpaceX will stand up its own terrestrial network or work with existing carriers.