Deutsche Telekom CEO on SpaceX ($SPCX) entering telecommunications: "We're looking at it seriously"

Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges said on the company’s Q3 earnings call that he takes SpaceX’s push into U.S. mobile service “very seriously,” welcoming the entrant while flagging the buildout requirements it faces. He argued satellite connectivity alone is insufficient, noting SpaceX would need spectrum plus ground infrastructure such as base stations and antennas to pair with its constellation. The comments signal that incumbent carriers view SpaceX’s direct-to-cell ambitions as a credible competitive threat rather than a niche experiment. Deutsche Telekom’s earnings materials and a recording of the call were posted on its investor relations page. Watch for SpaceX’s spectrum position, ground-network partnerships and U.S. carrier tie-ups as the key markers of how quickly its mobile challenge scales.