Top Talks
Dan Schulman Verizon · CEO
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Schulman argues that a SpaceX terrestrial mobile network would take 4-6 years and $300-500 billion, with no structural cost advantage.

If they build one, they're going to look at 65,000-80,000 macro sites. They're going to need backhaul, some combination of fiber, and maybe some satellite. They're going to need RAN. They're going to need a tremendous amount of spectrum. Assuming that's the case, and assuming they try to go do that, it's going to take a minimum of four to six years to fully build that out. It's going to cost hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars, I assume somewhere between $300 billion and $500 billion over the next seven or eight years.

All statements by Dan Schulman ›

Other recent statements by Dan Schulman

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Schulman commits to blocking agent access to Verizon's platforms unless it is certain a genuine customer is behind it.

We'll be sure that we won't allow agents to access our platforms unless we're 100% certain that it's truly a customer and not a rogue agent,
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Schulman says agents will drive an explosion in data traffic, making Verizon's network scarce and valuable, and that it will be priced accordingly with new plans.

an explosion in data traffic," making the Verizon network "a scarce and valuable asset," he told analysts. "And we will price it as such. You'll see different pricing plans.
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Schulman downplayed the threat of SpaceX entering the core mobile business, saying there are no shortcuts to building a terrestrial network given spectrum, backhaul, customer service and back-office needs.

"There's no magic wand. There's no secret sauce. There's no shortcut," Schulman said when asked to address the potential impacts of SpaceX's moving into the core mobile business.
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Schulman said Verizon's 1,700MHz of mmWave spectrum has become a competitive advantage and called the new FWA capability a technological breakthrough with significant positive implications.

Our 1,700MHz of millimeter wave spectrum has suddenly become a differentiated and competitive advantage" that complements Verizon's existing C-band spectrum, Schulman said on Monday's earnings call. "This is a technological breakthrough for us with significant positive implications.
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Schulman said Verizon should not sell FWA to customers needing gigabit speeds it can't deliver, and that it needs a much wider 1-Gig footprint.

If a customer needs a gig of speed and we can only offer them 300-Meg, we shouldn't sell the service. It's just going to be something that disappoints a customer," Schulman said. "And then the second implication was like we need a much wider footprint in which we can provide 1-Gig or more of speed.