Verizon CEO Predicts 5 Million Household Cap for Starlink and Amazon Leo
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman has downplayed the competitive threat posed by low-Earth-orbit satellite internet providers like SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. Speaking at the MoffettNathanson media conference, Schulman argued that satellite services are fundamentally inefficient in urban and suburban areas compared to terrestrial networks, which he claims are 100 to 1,000 times more efficient. He predicted that the total addressable market for satellite internet in the US is limited to approximately 5 million households over the next seven to ten years, primarily serving rural or niche demographics. While acknowledging this as a valid market segment, Schulman emphasized that it does not overlap significantly with Verizon's core business, which derives over 90% of its revenue from suburban and urban customers. Currently, Starlink serves over 2 million active US customers, whereas Verizon supports 16.8 million users via fiber and fixed wireless. The comments align with previous admissions by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regarding satellite capacity limitations in densely populated regions, despite recent regulatory approvals allowing increased satellite capacity.
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