The FCC is considering requiring Boost Mobile to sell its spectrum and exit the wireless industry.

When regulators permitted Dish Network to acquire Boost Mobile, paving the way for T-Mobile's purchase of Sprint, the FCC hoped Boost Mobile would become the fourth major U.S. wireless carrier. However, since Dish took control of Boost on July 1, 2020, its subscriber base has shrunk from 9 million to 7.36 million by the end of June, an 18.2% decrease.

Boost may be reversing this trend, having added mobile subscribers for the past three quarters. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Boost Mobile gained 90,000 net subscribers, followed by 150,000 net subscribers in the next quarter and 85,000 net subscribers in the second quarter of 2025. In total, Boost added 325,000 net subscribers across these three quarters.

In July, there were reports about EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen potentially merging Boost Mobile with MVNO MobileX. MobileX CEO Peter Adderton, a founder of the original Boost Mobile in the U.S., has a connection to both companies. However, there have been no official statements from involved parties regarding such a deal.

EchoStar/Dish Network, Boost Mobile's parent company, has been silent on the matter, and Adderton had also refrained from commenting until recently. Fierce Wireless spoke with MobileX's CEO, who expressed a negative view of the current state of Boost Mobile. He stated that Boost's only asset was its legacy as a cool brand, but that it had been changed, eliminating its value.

Adderton told Fierce that MVNOs should not be presented as a fourth network to justify potentially eliminating it, only to have established carriers control wholesale agreements. He advocates for regulation requiring MVNO owners to obtain licenses, similar to spectrum licenses, to provide them with a defined value.

Meanwhile, the dispute between EchoStar and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr continues. Carr has threatened to reconsider the additional time granted to Boost to meet network coverage obligations, alleging that Boost is hoarding unused spectrum. SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, initiated these complaints, seeking the 2GHz spectrum to expand its direct-to-device service, similar to Starlink's T-Mobile offering. T-Satellite enables smartphones to connect directly to satellites in areas lacking cellular coverage.

Blair Levin, an analyst at New Street Research, suggests that EchoStar and the FCC might reach an agreement involving EchoStar selling some spectrum while retaining enough licenses to operate as a fourth facilities-based network.

Levin notes that discussions have involved EchoStar proposing various spectrum sales, which Carr deemed insufficient. Some believe Carr's ultimate goal is for EchoStar to exit the wireless industry entirely and sell its spectrum to Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, aligning with the current administration's preference for industry consolidation.