In recent weeks, satellite business EchoStar has clinched multibillion-dollar deals with SpaceX and AT&T. It may sound like boom times for founder Charlie Ergen, but these deals illustrate something different: the abandoning of an ambitious, decades-long quest to build his own mobile phone network. The FT’s Wall Street editor Sujeet Indap and US trading and crypto correspondent Jill R Shah explain how Ergen’s fortunes changed, and the role Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump played in that. Clips from CNBC, Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Echostar/Vimeo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: How a deal with Elon Musk helped a telecoms tycoon save his company from bankruptcy Trump forces billionaire to fold Charlie Ergen: Media mogul at a Sprint - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Behind the Money has been nominated for a Signal Award in the Money & Finance category! It's a Listener Choice award, which means we need your help. Vote for us to win here . We appreciate your support! Follow Sujeet Indap on X ( @sindap ), or on Bluesky ( @sindap.bsky.social ). Follow Jill Shah on X ( @jillrshah ). Michela Tindera is on X ( @mtindera07 ) and Bluesky ( @mtindera.ft.com ), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
