U.S. carriers name Paul Roth interim head of their satellite venture — an open race with SpaceX’s Starlink

The three largest U.S. mobile carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, on Thursday named industry veteran Paul Roth as interim chief executive of their new joint venture aimed at expanding mobile coverage via satellites, as Reuters reports.

The venture, first announced in May, aims, according to the companies’ announcement, to expand coverage to underserved areas in the U.S. and almost completely eliminate so-called “dead zones” without mobile service, guarantee backup connectivity during natural disasters, and improve network performance through “direct to device” technology — connecting smartphones directly to satellites.

Some analysts suggest the venture may also have a defensive character, according to Reuters reporting, given the ambitions of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company plans to build a full mobile service, putting Starlink in direct competition with the three major U.S. carriers, after it outlined plans in August that could pit Starlink against the big three. SpaceX bought 65 megahertz of spectrum from EchoStar for $19.6 billion, through two deals announced last year, giving Starlink the airwaves to expand into mobile services.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in August that the company will build the infrastructure needed to make Starlink “a real cellular service” and expects to win “many” customers from the three major carriers, Reuters writes. On the other hand, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have invested hundreds of billions of dollars over three decades in spectrum licenses, network construction and attracting customers. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr told Reuters earlier this year that Starlink will have the opportunity, alone or in partnership with traditional carriers, to address dead zones.

The FCC moved on Wednesday to release more spectrum to boost satellite broadband for homes. “Making next-generation satellite broadband faster and more reliable will benefit not only current subscribers, but will strengthen competition for all consumers — putting downward pressure on prices in the home internet market,” Carr said, according to Reuters. Under its partnership with T-Mobile, SpaceX already uses Starlink satellites for direct-to-cell connectivity for compatible smartphones outside traditional mobile coverage.