US telcos combine for satellite connectivity
October 2, 2026

By Chris Forrester



Three US cellular giants, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have created a joint-venture to offer their customers an end to ‘dead zones’ in rural and remote areas.

The trio have hired Paul Roth as interim CEO of the JV while an active search is underway for a permanent CEO. Roth is a seasoned wireless industry executive who previously held several leadership roles at AT&T, Cingular Wireless and Ameritech.


The move, first rumoured to be under consideration in May, is not designed to provide a new satellite enterprise. The three will pool resources and continue and allowing existing carrier-satellite agreements to remain in place. The JV partners can continue connectivity efforts independently and competitively. The agreements are with SpaceX’s Starlink and AST SpaceMobile.

The new business will give customers more consistent performance and simpler access to satellite services across providers. This will speed up feature updates and improve connectivity for everyone, everywhere, said the trio’s press statement.

“Through combined investment by the three JV partners, provider options will expand, and, as a first step, direct-to-device (D2D) access will improve. This will enhance competition as consumer choices grow in satellite service. Emerging communications technologies can be more easily and quickly developed and launched to enhance customer experience,” said the statement.

“User experience will improve on satellite networks, with a standards-based approach to development involving operating system providers, mobile app developers and original equipment manufacturers,” the statement added.

AT&T and Verizon have agreements in place with AST while T-Mobile works with Starlink.