T-Mobile quietly removed the Starlink name from its website for T-Satellite, just as the company officially created a joint venture that could favor other satellite competitors.
On Thursday, we noticed that T-Satellite’s official website had removed “with Starlink” the logo and introductory statement. It also doesn’t mention SpaceX or Starlink Mobile, the name Elon Musk’s company uses for its direct phone service.
Coincidentally, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon this week launched the joint venture announced in May to pool their radio spectrum to support satellite services for phones.
T-Mobile, SpaceX’s exclusive partner for its satellite-to-phone service in the United States, has not explained why Starlink was removed from its T-Satellite site. But Starlink still features prominently on a support page and on a site advertising the service for business purposes.
Yet T-Mobile executives recently made eyebrow-raising statements about T-Satellite and SpaceX; the latter indicated that it planned to use new generation satellites to ultimately compete with the three major American operators.
(Credit: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
For example, Srini Gopalan, CEO of T-Mobile, repeatedly emphasized that satellite was a “complementary” service and that T-Satellite was not used as much as expected.
Thursday’s joint venture announcement also states: “Through the combined investments of the three joint venture partners, vendor options will expand and, initially, direct-to-device (D2D) access will improve.” This will increase competition as consumers’ choices in satellite service expand. »
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T-Mobile’s alliance with AT&T and Verizon has been seen as a counter to SpaceX that could support rivals, such as AST SpaceMobile and Amazon-Globalstar, which are also working on satellite connectivity for consumer phones, giving carriers a way to fill cellular dead zones.
That said, the joint venture notes that “existing carrier-satellite agreements will remain in place and the joint venture partners will be able to pursue their connectivity efforts independently.” It is therefore possible that T-Mobile will continue to rely on SpaceX for T-Satellite. The T-Mobile CEO also confirmed that its exclusivity period for Starlink Mobile in the United States does not end this year. Other carriers, including Boost Mobile and US Mobile, also plan to offer Starlink Mobile.
T-Mobile isn’t the only one to drop the Starlink label. Last year, Canadian operator Rogers Communications also partnered with SpaceX to launch Starlink cellular. But he also refrained from mentioning Starlink or SpaceX, perhaps to avoid possible backlash amid ongoing tensions between Canada and President Trump, who has worked closely with Musk.
About our expert
Michael Kan
Senior reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a Kansas City schools and towns reporter and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, computer hardware and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I have covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing more than 600 articles on feature availability and launches, but also regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, struggles with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and efforts to expand into mobile satellite service. I scoured FCC filings for the latest news and traveled to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-driven malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly collecting and selling their personal information to third-party customers, my joint report reveals. investigation with motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out outside a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now tracking the impact of the AI-driven memory shortage on the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always keen to learn more, so please share your feedback and send me tips.
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