Musk’s $17B Deal Could Kill AT&T VIEW IN BROWSER BY ANDY SWAN, FOUNDER, LIKEFOLIO Alexander Graham Bell killed Western Union (WU) with one invention. Now, Elon Musk could end AT&T (T) with a single $17B blow… When Bell patented his technology (for the telephone) in 1867, the world was still wired to the telegraph – and Western Union held the dominant share of telegraph lines in America. It was the ultimate monopoly: the “last mile” of communication. Western Union executives laughed at Bell’s invention. They called the telephone “an electrical toy” that had no chance of replacing their entrenched network. After all, they owned the wires. They owned the poles. They owned the infrastructure. How could they lose? But they made one fatal mistake: they assumed infrastructure was the moat when the real competitive edge was the technology. And Bell’s was better. It wasn’t long before the telephone bypassed the telegraph entirely. By 1920, instead of relays and Morse code operators, people spoke directly to one another. Western Union’s vast last-mile network of wires, stations, and clerks was suddenly worthless. Bell’s company went from upstart to empire-builder almost overnight. The story is repeating itself today. Only this time, Bell’s company – known today as AT&T – is on the losing side… And you’ll be among the winners – with LikeFolio’s help. Starlink’s End Run Around the Tower Monopoly Earlier this week, Elon Musk spent $17 billion to nuke AT&T in a deal that brings EchoStar’s (SATS) wireless spectrum to SpaceX’s Starlink division. It wasn’t just an acquisition. It was a death blow to the modern-day telegraph barons. For decades, wireless carriers have relied on a similar moat to Western Union’s: the last-mile network of towers, backhaul, and spectrum rights. They controlled the pipes. If you wanted mobile coverage, you paid them. Musk just erased that advantage. By acquiring 50 MHz (megahertz) of exclusive S-band spectrum in the U.S. (the radio frequencies that make cell phones work) and mobile satellite licenses worldwide, his Starlink satellites will soon function as cell towers in space. You won’t need a new smartphone – the one in your pocket will simply ping satellites directly – anywhere on Earth. The rollout starts with basic texting and emergency signals. But it won’t stop there. Soon, voice calls, video chats, and broadband data will beam down from orbit, indistinguishable from the terrestrial LTE and 5G networks that power your phone data today. Just as Bell’s telephone bypassed the telegraph network, Musk’s satellites will bypass the wireless tower grid. The “last mile” is no longer owned by the incumbents – it belongs to the sky. The Battlelines: Winners vs. Losers With one $17 billion deal, Musk launched an arms race that only a few players will survive. On the losing side: - AT&T’s rural coverage advantage evaporates overnight. Every oil rig, farm, and disaster zone that used to be “AT&T territory” is now Starlink territory.
- Verizon (VZ) will fight to protect enterprise and government contracts, but even those clients will see the value of global satellite redundancy. Their “most reliable network” marketing line is toast.
- AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), the little-known space-based cellular innovator we put on your radar in August, now needs billions in fresh capital just to stay in the fight. Yes, AT&T and Verizon are propping it up, but that’s a defensive marriage of desperation.
- For legacy towers and infrastructure, every steel tower, every mile of cables, every sunk cost is now a stranded asset in the making. The moat has dried up.
On the winning side: - Starlink just went from a niche Internet Service Provider (ISP) into a global carrier that now controls the largest non-terrestrial LTE/5G footprint on Earth.
- T-Mobile (TMUS) secured a decisive edge by cutting a deal with Starlink early. It will be first to market satellite roaming as a premium (or bundled) feature. Coverage bragging rights just swung heavily in T-Mobile’s favor.
- And EchoStar will walk away with $8.5B in cash and $8.5B in SpaceX stock. The company sold its spectrum at the exact moment it became world changing.
The battlelines are drawn: Together, Musk and T-Mobile are playing offense with vision, speed, capital on their side… while AT&T, Verizon, and ASTS are forced on the defensive, facing fear, bureaucracy, and regulatory delay tactics that could stall their growth. One side is building the future. The other is fighting to preserve the past. What Comes Next? That’s the question on every investor’s mind, after all. And while we can’t foresee the future, you can bet Starlink will move quickly with Musk at the helm. Expect SMS coverage within the year, followed by phased rollouts of voice and broadband services. Look for T-Mobile to market this as the ultimate coverage edge, forcing AT&T and Verizon to double down on their ASTS partnership. Watch for AT&T and Verizon to weaponize regulators… aggressive lobbying at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to slow Starlink’s rollout… And headlines about interference, safety, and national security to follow. But remember: Those are stall tactics, not solutions. The market will see through it. Consumers will follow convenience. Enterprises will follow resilience. Governments will follow coverage. That’s the Musk playbook to a T. And if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that LikeFolio will be watching this space closer than anyone to find the opportunities in the chaos… How Investors Will Know Who’s Really Winning Because while Wall Street debates spectrum maps and capital requirements, the truth will show up in consumer behavior first. LikeFolio’s Data Engine scans millions of consumer conversations happening every single day – which means in real time, we’ll know: - Which carrier’s subscribers stay put…
- Which ones churn…
- Which ones brag about coverage…
- Which ones complain about outages…
From there, our stock-picking algorithm will reveal the winners and losers in real time – boiling down all that consumer demand and sentiment data into a single, powerful Social Heat Score pointing us to the hottest opportunities. The same system that identified: - Robinhood Markets (HOOD) in April 2024, leading our MegaTrends subscribers to an incredible 520% profit opportunity.
- SoFi Technologies (SOFI) in March of this year, giving TradeSmith Daily readers a chance to more than double their money.
- And more recently American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), whose “Good Jeans” campaign paid off just as our data suggested – handing those who followed our lead a near-50% gain in less than a month and Earnings Season Pass subscribers a shot to double their money in just days.
That’s how our members will know when the market is missing the turn – and where the money is flowing next. By following LikeFolio data. Already, our Social Heat Score shows T-Mobile trending into bullish territory. And that’s just the start. 
Bottom line: The space war is over. Musk won. But the profit opportunities are just beginning. To make sure you’re on the winning side of this battle, you’ll need full access to our Social Heat Score system – and there’s only one way to get it: by joining MegaTrends today. Until next time, 
Andy Swan
Founder, LikeFolio | 
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