SpaceX may be building a Smartphone that works without cell towers

According to Reuters, citing three people familiar with the project, SpaceX is working on a smartphone designed to connect directly to Starlink satellites, skipping traditional cellular networks altogether.

The goal doesn’t seem to be competing with mainstream smartphones. Instead, the device could serve as a way to pull more users into the Starlink subscription ecosystem, which already makes up the bulk of SpaceX’s revenue. For frequent travelers and people in remote areas, the appeal is obvious: global internet access without roaming charges.

The idea isn’t entirely new. Elon Musk has previously acknowledged that a Starlink-enabled phone is possible, but stressed it would be nothing like today’s smartphones. In a reply on X, Musk said such a device would be “completely different,” optimized for AI workloads and focused on delivering the best performance per watt.

SpaceX hasn’t confirmed anything publicly, and a product like this would face serious technical challenges. Still, if the reports are accurate, it suggests the company is thinking far beyond rockets and satellites and toward owning the entire global connectivity experience.