After acquiring a slice of 800MHz radio spectrum, SpaceX’s ambitious goal is clear.

Most people view SpaceX as a “rocket company” but financially and strategically, Starlink makes them a global satellite internet service provider.

In its first earnings report as a public company, SpaceX posted $7.8 billion in second-quarter revenue — up 92% from a year ago — and Starlink alone operates across 160 markets, with over 12 million active customers.

The company already agreed to spend $19.6 billion to acquire 65 MHz of wireless spectrum license from EchoStar to expand Starlink’s direct-to-cell and mobile services.

Earlier this month, SpaceX bought a slice of 800 MHz radio spectrum from Grain Management, which could potentially eliminate the need to partner with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.

After announcing this major development, the “Big Three” stocks crashed over 7%.

This could not only reshape the US telecom industry entirely, but every company that can put satellites into orbit could stand to benefit tremendously.

And Bezos isn’t sitting still …

A Massive “Satellite Arms Race” Between Two Mega-Telecom Networks

In order to offer high-speed internet nationwide, both Amazon and SpaceX need to have as many satellites up there as possible.

Amazon Leo (Bezos’s own telecom network) has deployed nearly 400 satellites so far, but compared to Starlink’s whopping 11,000+ active satellites, Leo has some serious catching up to do if it wants to stay in the race.

After Elon Musk’s announcement, Jeff Bezos-backed ventures are actively planning and deploying thousands of new satellites to rival SpaceX’s network.

Where The Real Opportunity Lies

As SpaceX pushes its Starlink Mobile Network and Amazon Leo scrambles to get more satellites in orbit, global launch capacity is quickly becoming one of the most valuable bottlenecks in technology.

SpaceX is well positioned on its end, building its own rockets to launch more and more Starlink satellites each week. But Amazon doesn’t have that luxury, and it has even bought from its biggest rival just to keep Leo in the game.

As the trend grows, companies like Rocket Lab — already the world’s second most active launch provider — could catch the overflow. Its Neutron rocket is designed specifically for deploying satellite mega-constellations.

The more satellites this race demands, the more rides to orbit it’s going to need.