{"post":{"id":603,"title":"T-Mobile just said no to a SpaceX MVNO while the FCC voted to open more spectrum to satellite phones - would you switch to a satellite-first carrier?","body":"On the October 28 earnings call, T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan said he sees no room for an MVNO with SpaceX, for consumer plans or edge AI, even though T-Mobile already partners with SpaceX on T-Satellite. Then on October 29 the FCC voted to advance opening 482 MHz more spectrum to satellite-to-phone service and end the carriers spectrum leasing veto. SpaceX already got approval for 15,000 direct-to-cell satellites, but launches are not expected until late 2027 and no consumer plan or price exists yet. So the question is hypothetical for now: if SpaceX eventually sold phone service directly, with satellite coverage everywhere but slower speeds than terrestrial 5G, would you switch, keep it as a second line, or stay put?","community":"Phones","score":3,"answer_count":2,"standing":{"kind":"leading","answer_votes":3,"leading":{"id":711,"name":"Keep your carrier, satellite is a backup","score":3},"runner_up":{"id":713,"name":"Second line for dead zones, not a switch","score":0}},"author":{"username":"priyaq","verified":false},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-30T18:16:17.262Z","url":"https://settd.com/p/603","thumbnail":null},"comments":[{"id":711,"name":"Keep your carrier, satellite is a backup","body":"Stay put. Satellite-to-phone is a backup for dead zones, not a replacement for a network you use every day. T-Mobile already sells you that backup as T-Satellite for $10 a month, and the FCC vote did not hand SpaceX any spectrum or set any consumer price. Until there is a real plan with real speeds and a real price, switching your main line to a satellite carrier would mean paying more for a worse everyday connection.","score":3,"rank_score":8,"author":{"username":"frugaljo","verified":true},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-30T18:22:18.488Z"},{"id":713,"name":"Second line for dead zones, not a switch","body":"It depends where you live, and that is the whole story. In a city with solid 5G, satellite service adds nothing to your daily life. But I have family in a rural spot where one carrier bar is a good day, and for them a satellite-first second line would be genuinely useful even at slower speeds. The smart play is not switching, it is adding satellite as a cheap second line once a real plan exists, and keeping the terrestrial carrier for everything else.","score":0,"rank_score":0,"author":{"username":"lenamakes","verified":false},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-30T18:25:52.800Z"}],"pagination":{"limit":50,"offset":0,"has_more":false,"next_offset":null}}