SpaceX has taken one step toward becoming a direct competitor to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Its Starlink subsidiary quietly filed to register the "Starlink Mobile" trademark on Oct. 16, signaling plans to enter the wireless carrier business.

For context, Elon Musk spoke at the All-In Summit in early September and made it clear he wants to morph Starlink into a global mobile wireless carrier that leverages both satellites and ground-based spectrum.

All-In's Chamath Palihapitiya asked Musk: "Elon, is your vision that instead of having an AT&T account and then roaming when you're in the UK or India, we could have one direct deal with Starlink that works all over the world? Maybe not today, but eventually — is that the end goal?"

Musk responded: "Yes."

On Oct. 16, Starlink filed to trademark "Starlink Mobile." One X user spotted the application in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) records:

Starlink's USPTO filing describes the service as: "Satellite communication and transmission services; transmission of data, voice, image and video via satellite; collecting and transmitting real-time data and images obtained via satellites; telecommunications services, namely, cellular personal communication services."

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Back at the All-In Summit, David Friedberg asked Musk: "Could you buy some carriers to acquire more spectrum? Maybe buy Verizon?"

Musk replied: "Not out of the question. I suppose that may happen."