--- title: "Verizon CEO Says SpaceX Could Spend $500 Billion to Enter Wireless. Is That the Real Barrier?" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/303272014.md" description: "Verizon CEO Dan Schulman estimates that SpaceX could face costs between $300 billion and $500 billion to build a terrestrial wireless network capable of competing with U.S. carriers. He argues that satellite connectivity alone is insufficient for urban/suburban markets, requiring significant investment in towers, spectrum, and retail infrastructure over 4-6 years. While acknowledging SpaceX's execution capability, Schulman suggests no 'magic wand' exists to bypass conventional telecom economics, though the figure remains an estimate rather than a confirmed budget." datetime: "2026-10-27T17:52:35.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/303272014.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/303272014.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/303272014.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Verizon CEO Says SpaceX Could Spend $500 Billion to Enter Wireless. Is That the Real Barrier? **Verizon Communications Inc.** (NYSE:VZ) CEO **Dan Schulman** says **Space Exploration Technologies Corp.** (NASDAQ:SPCX) could face a bill of up to $500 billion if it wants to compete directly with U.S. wireless carriers. The estimate is not a SpaceX spending plan, but it captures the scale of the challenge Verizon sees: building a terrestrial network could require years of investment in towers, spectrum and the systems needed to run a national telecom business. ## Verizon’s $500 Billion Estimate During Verizon’s third-quarter earnings call, Schulman estimated that a hypothetical SpaceX terrestrial network could cost "somewhere between $300 billion and half a trillion" over seven or eight years. He did not provide a detailed cost model. Instead, he outlined what a carrier-scale buildout could involve: 65,000 to 80,000 macro sites, backhaul using fiber and potentially satellites, radio access network equipment, and "a tremendous amount of spectrum." SpaceX would also need retail operations, customer service and back-office systems, he said. The comments came in response to a question about SpaceX and **Starlink** entering the core mobile market. **Read Also: SpaceX's $100 Trillion Bet Has a Starlink Mobile Wild Card** Schulman argued that satellite connectivity alone would have a limited addressable market compared with terrestrial networks, particularly in suburban and urban areas. "We always knew that they needed a terrestrial network to have any chance at providing a competitive service," he said. ## Can SpaceX Find a Shortcut? Schulman’s argument is that SpaceX may not be able to sidestep conventional wireless economics simply because it already operates a satellite constellation. "If they build one, they’re going to look and feel like every other network," he said, adding that there would be "no magic wand" or "radically lower structural cost advantage." In his view, building a network would ultimately leave SpaceX with similar capabilities and cost structures to existing carriers. Schulman estimated that a full buildout would take at least four to six years. That timeline could give incumbents time to improve their services, although it remains Verizon’s assessment of a potential entry scenario — not a confirmed SpaceX plan. ## Verizon Is Taking the Threat Seriously Despite the cost estimate, Schulman did not dismiss SpaceX’s ability to execute. "I also operate under the assumption that everything SpaceX says they will do, they will do, and that they will execute flawlessly," he said. The question is whether SpaceX can combine satellite infrastructure, spectrum access, partnerships or other assets into a cheaper path than the one Verizon anticipates. For investors, the $500 billion figure should be treated as an estimate of the potential scale of a terrestrial buildout, not a verified SpaceX budget. The key variables to watch are concrete moves by SpaceX on spectrum, tower infrastructure and carrier partnerships — and whether it signals an ambition to build a nationwide network rather than focus on satellite connectivity. **Read Also: SpaceX Starlink Mobile Could Disrupt Wireless Carriers** *Photo Courtesy: Tada Images on Shutterstock.com* ### Related Stocks - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [VZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VZ.US.md) - [DSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DSPC.US.md) - [LOFF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOFF.US.md) - [SNK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNK.US.md) - [SPAL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPAL.US.md) - [SPCF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCF.US.md) - [SPCG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCG.US.md) - [SPCH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCH.US.md) - [SPCM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCM.US.md) - [SPCU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCU.US.md) - [SSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSPC.US.md) - [YSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/YSPC.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Verizon says SpaceX will need 8 years and a half trillion dollars to compete in wireless](https://longbridge.com/en/news/303112835.md) - [SpaceX seeks 80,000 US wireless sites to challenge nationwide carriers](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302959854.md) - [Verizon CEO Predicts SpaceX Needs 6 Years to Compete, Musk Disagrees](https://longbridge.com/en/news/303245440.md) - [Verizon Stock Forecast: VZ Holds Above $43.07 Into Q3 Earnings as SpaceX Eyes a Fourth Carrier](https://longbridge.com/en/news/303055849.md) - [Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk's Starlink, But There’s One Deal He Won’t Touch: ‘No Benefit Whatsoever’](https://longbridge.com/en/news/303174784.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**