SpaceX’s $17 billion acquisition of EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum enables broadband DTC (direct to cellphone) with 20x throughput over prior low-band spectrum from T-mobile. This mid-band S-spectrum offers excellent propagation characteristics but phones will need new chips to work with the spectrum band. DTC is an emerging service and we are going from it barely works in 2025 to a mature mostly 4G service in 2028. In 2025, SpaceX Starlink is the only continuous coverage service with basic texting, voice and low speed data service. All providers will build out coverage and reliability in 2026. I am projecting the DTC transition to 4G speed and services as satellites and satellite optimized phones are deployed in 2026-2028. 2027 is when higher speed direct to satellite services and phones to support them will be good for early adopters of 3G-4G. 2028 is when this will be reliable and fast with the full 15,000 Starlink satellite constellation and lots of bandwidth will have been acquired. The rollout of satellites and phones is explained in the Nextbigfuture.substack.com article. Brian Wang Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology. Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels. A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements. Categories