AT&T Inc.AT&T CEO says Starlink is complementary, not a direct mobile competitor, easing fears of satellite-based cellular pressure on carriers.

AT&T CEO John Stankey said SpaceX's Starlink will not displace established wireless carriers, describing the relationship as a "complementary dynamic" rather than direct competition. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Tech Conference, Stankey said Starlink "doesn't get through buildings very well" and cannot penetrate high-rises or crowded stadiums, leaving AT&T uniquely positioned to meet customer performance expectations. He acknowledged Starlink's strengths in airlines, rural areas, and IoT applications such as connected vehicles with line of sight to the sky, and said AT&T could aggregate traffic and bring customers to satellite operators including Amazon and SpaceX through the wholesale market. Concerns have been rising on Wall Street that Starlink, after acquiring terrestrial spectrum and deploying advanced satellites, could move from rural broadband into a standalone cellular network and direct mobile competitor, pressuring carriers' enterprise, emergency service, rural, and international roaming revenue. KeyBanc analyst Brandon Nispel said investors are giving Starlink Mobile too much credit despite clear scaling challenges, and that no impact on broadband subscriber growth has been seen.
AT&T Inc.AT&T CEO says Starlink is complementary, not a direct mobile competitor, easing fears of satellite-based cellular pressure on carriers.
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