AT&T CEO says fiber outpaces Starlink’s satellite phone plans

AT&T CEO John Stankey has questioned whether Starlink Mobile can compete with traditional mobile carriers, arguing that its reliance on satellites makes the strategy unviable. He made the comments to Axios, according to TechRadar.

Stankey said fiber is three times faster than satellite connectivity and argued that even the best-case satellite technology over the next 10 years would not surpass fiber. Starlink’s plans also include more conventional network infrastructure: the company has outlined installing small cellular base stations alongside Starlink dishes at homes and businesses.

Stankey said that approach would be enormously expensive. He also raised concerns about permission to transmit cellular signals from private property, while noting that the law could change. These are Stankey’s assessments, not established outcomes.

Analyst Madison Rezaei of Bernstein said Starlink Mobile could serve remote, rural, maritime and disaster scenarios, but was a long way from replacing terrestrial carrier networks. Alex Besen, CEO of the Besen Group, told Fierce Network that conventional carriers could lose some consumers to the service, though he did not expect them to lose a majority.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have recently launched a joint venture aimed at addressing coverage dead zones through satellite connectivity. The article suggests carriers may increasingly combine cell towers, fiber and satellites to serve customers.