Wireless

Do SpaceX’s ‘missing pieces’ carry a Dish logo on them?

By Monica Alleven Oct 30, 2026 5:15pm

SpaceX EchoStar Charlie Ergen Elon Musk

tower satellite — Will SpaceX dust off Dish's abandoned wireless gear? (Microsoft Copilot )

Analysts think SpaceX may want the rest of EchoStar, not just its spectrum
The 80,000-tower talk could be about leverage, not a real buildout plan
Dish's leftover gear: useful starter kit or scrap metal?

It’s taking a while to puzzle this one out.

On Oct. 22 Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was on the hunt for at least 80,000 cell sites across the U.S. to build out its terrestrial mobile network.

That’s a lot of sites, especially in light of earlier comments from SpaceX about using small cells tied to Starlink base stations to create its novel terrestrial network. Some immediately questioned why Starlink Mobile would need access to as many or more cell sites as the existing terrestrial mobile carriers.

MoffettNathanson analyst Nick Del Deo surmised (registration required) that the 80K number is not all macro sites but instead includes some small cells mounted on traditional tower infrastructure or rooftops. Or it could be a long-term site aspiration figure rather than a near-term one – with tower companies simply contemplating the ramp-up over time.

Tossing out the 80,000 number in the press – as others have pointed out, costs nothing – and it could serve as a message about how SpaceX plans to “out-do” the current incumbents.

Still, that doesn’t make a lot of sense if their strategy is to capitalize on satellites in rural areas – no towers necessary there if your satellites have a clear signal to the ground. (Plus, that’s one of the whole selling points for direct-to-device (D2D) services: use satellite where terrestrial doesn’t reach.)

Scuttlebutt: SpaceX’s interest in EchoStar

In an Oct. 28 blog, TMF Associates founder Tim Farrar said much of the talk at the Satellite Innovation conference in Mountain View, Calif., this past week focused on the challenge that SpaceX poses for the rest of the space industry and more importantly, to the wider telecom sector.

In the background, he said, is the additional threat from the “missing pieces” that Musk highlighted during the Oct. 20 SpaceX Q3 conference call.

“That is widely recognized as SpaceX’s plan to acquire the rest of EchoStar in a share-based transaction, which would allow SpaceX to pick up the remnants of Dish Wireless network, along with the rest of EchoStar’s spectrum in the AWS-3 and CBRS bands, and save the cash outlay that would otherwise have been paid for the AWS-4 and Band 70 spectrum,” Farrar wrote.

The benefit for EchoStar investors, and EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen in particular, would be that a share-based transaction could be tax free, unlike the cash sales of spectrum, he said.

“These direct negotiations with Charlie Ergen are the reasons that the tower companies have been so vocal in their recent results calls (for example about rights to abandoned equipment), and why we saw chatter about an 80,000 tower buildout last week (since a larger commitment by SpaceX could allow for a better price on the existing leases),” Farrar said.

“And it would not be surprising if the deal was announced as soon as next week, given that mediation is scheduled through November 4, although Ergen is known for being a tough negotiator and might make it hard to reach an agreement on price,” he added.

SpaceX and EchoStar didn’t respond to Fierce’s request for comment.

LightShed focuses on SpaceX

Farrar isn’t alone in thinking SpaceX is, or should be, a prime buyer for Dish’s gear. LightShed Partners analysts Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone reiterated their view in a blog post this past week, noting that American Tower CEO and President Steven Vondran said on his earnings call that a bankruptcy court order gives the tower company ownership of Dish’s abandoned radios and antennas on its towers. So, it’s free and clear.

“As we have previously noted, these Dish radios are capable of supporting the 2 GHz and 800 MHz spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar and Grain. Buying compatible equipment already installed on towers could give SpaceX a head start on its wireless terrestrial network build and throw a big bucket of cold water on Verizon’s four-to-six-year timeline and $300-$500 billion estimate for SpaceX’s buildout,” they wrote.

They added that they don’t expect an imminent deal, as the bankruptcy court order has been out since July and SpaceX had months to act on it if there was an urgent interest.

“SpaceX is still shaping its terrestrial plans, and its technology and manufacturing expertise could favor proprietary gear,” they said. “We believe it should buy the compatible radios and sign new leases as a starter kit, regardless of the network architecture that follows. But there is no obvious rush. The EchoStar and Grain acquisitions have yet to fully close, and the tower companies can leave the equipment in place while they wait.”

Why 80,000 cell sites?

Others are wondering about the idea of SpaceX eyeing 80,000 cell sites.

“So if the Grain deal closes, the existing low-band radios could in principle carry SpaceX’s 800 MHz with reconfiguration, but that’s a configuration that has never carried commercial traffic on Dish’s network,” noted Ken Schmidt, president of Steel in the Air, on LinkedIn.

“On top of that, there are reports of Dish removing radios from some sites before the bankruptcy, of Dish sites never fully connected to commercial power or fiber, and of salvage companies already offering towercos to strip the gear. Additionally, Dish had the AT&T and T-Mobile MVNOs to cover their behinds when Dish’s network didn’t have sufficient capacity or sites in the area to handle the calls,” he said.

Bottom line: “The idea of a fallow network just waiting to be switched on is as specious as Verizon’s claim that the only path to terrestrial wireless is 4–6 years and $300–500B. Using Dish’s abandoned equipment could save money, but does SpaceX really want to buy into Dish’s failed network strategy and its open-RAN architecture?” Schmidt said, launching a spirited conversation on the topic.

SpaceX + Dish: Why now?

The idea of SpaceX buying Dish Wireless’ idle and abandoned equipment seemed as though it had come and gone. For months, Fierce asked: Why, if SpaceX and Elon Musk are serious about building a terrestrial wireless network, don’t they just buy Dish’s remnants and get on with it?

One possible answer: Musk is too much of a perfectionist, and he wants to build his own, better machine/network from scratch. Therefore, he doesn’t want Dish’s hand-me-downs.

Another idea: Maybe SpaceX (or someone else) can get the equipment even cheaper the longer everything gets delayed through Dish Wireless’s bankruptcy court proceedings? At this point, it doesn’t seem like it could get any cheaper than dirt.

So while there’s the theory that SpaceX could buy the rest of EchoStar, there are a lot of questions: like, why wait so long?

Then again, maybe it’s not in the cards

Industry analyst Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics, previously told Fierce that he thinks Dish’s wireless network is more or less “scrap metal.” Fierce caught up with him today, and that view hasn’t changed.

“Charlie could have sold Elon the network, the antennas and everything a long time ago. What is Charlie going to do with it? It is equipment that will be sold as scrap or somewhere else,” Entner said.

He noted that Dish Wireless abandoned the radios and antennas that were the basis of Ergen’s 5G open RAN network, leaving the tower companies and site landlords to try to figure out what to do with it – and pay for its removal, which isn’t cheap. “Probably it costs you more to take this down than what it’s worth,” Entner said.

Ergen has talked about his admiration for Musk, but that doesn’t mean he’s getting ready to retire or sell all of EchoStar’s assets.

“EchoStar is owned by Charlie. He can do whatever he wants… Do I see Charlie working for Elon? No. Do I see Charlie retiring? No,” Entner said.

EchoStar hasn’t yet publicly shared the date of its Q3 2026 earnings announcement, and the deadline to file its 10-Q SEC report is Nov. 9. In addition, there’s the aforementioned Nov. 4 date for Dish Wireless to check in with the bankruptcy court, so whatever is happening, we should get an update soon.

How much of an update remains to be seen.