Synthetic Wisdom Unleashed: Charlie Ergen’s Machine-Generated Answers to the Toughest Telecom Questions
The following is a machine generated exchange. At least we believe it is…
Note: These 15 questions have been previously posted on other platforms Charlie in the Machine had not yet responded untiL now
Enjoy this exchange brought to you by Synthetic Wisdom
1. Does cable abandon the Verizon MVNO?
Charlie Ergen:
You ever see a company hand over billions to a competitor and think that’s a good long-term strategy? No, cable’s going to wise up. They’ve been feeding Verizon pure margin for too long. They’ve got the scale to cut their own deal either spectrum, network sharing, or even their own build. When the economics stop making sense, they pivot.
2. How would Verizon respond?
They’ll fight like hell to keep cable locked in, but what are their options? Cut wholesale rates? Sure. Buy a cable company? Maybe. But Verizon’s already losing consumer broadband to fiber and fixed wireless. If cable walks, that’s a big revenue hole. Expect them to lean into bundling, discounts, and whatever regulatory lobbying they can muster.
3. Do carriers deploy Tarana Wireless, Inc. for FWA?
Tarana’s got real tech, no question. The carriers that can’t justify fiber everywhere will deploy it, but the big guys “AT&T and Verzion” are committed to their own paths. T-Mobile might play with it, but they’ve got spectrum and a head start on FWA. The cable guys should be all over Tarana ”cheaper than CBRS or a full buildout.
4. How would cable respond?
Cable doesn’t like competition. If Tarana FWA starts working at scale, they’ll push DOCSIS 4.0 faster and try to undercut on price. But if they’re smart, they use it themselves and extend broadband without fiber. Otherwise, they’ll just end up complaining to the FCC when carriers start stealing customers.
5. Is there a deal for some or all of EchoStar Corporation’s spectrum?
If the price is right. We didn’t collect spectrum for decoration. But we’re not giving it away cheap. There’s no more easy spectrum out there, and everyone knows it. Carriers need capacity, private networks need coverage, and we’ve got assets that can solve real problems. So yes, but only on our terms.
6. Is there a global deal for an S-Band LEO network?
If the regulators don’t get in the way, yes. S-band LEO has huge potential ”real coverage, IoT, emergency services, direct-to-device. The question is whether governments let it scale globally. If they do, expect partnerships, maybe even a joint venture between satellite and telco operators.
7. Does SpaceX participate in terrestrial M&A or strategic investment?
Elon’s unpredictable, but he’s smart. Starlink already makes fiber and towers look obsolete in some markets. Does he buy a telco? Doubt it. Does he partner, lease spectrum, or force carriers to work with him? Absolutely.
8. Does Trump embrace NTN-terrestrial integration as a national security imperative?
Look, the government moves slow, but the playbook is clear: secure communications, redundancy, resilience. NTN-terrestrial is the future whether they realize it today or in five years. If there’s a second Trump term, expect big move ”DOD contracts, spectrum allocations, and maybe even a push to mandate NTN capabilities in consumer devices.
9. Does NVIDIA invest in advanced terrestrial networks to drive silicon at the edge and in the RAN?
Jensen’s already there. AI workloads demand bandwidth. Compute at the edge means real-time processing, and that needs smarter, lower-latency networks. If NVIDIA isn’t actively looking at investments in telecom, they’re missing the biggest infrastructure shift since cloud computing.
10. Do we see the emergence of a true wholesale network that enables “Thick MVNOs” allowing thousands of new entrants to emerge?
Thick MVNOs? That’s the right idea. The carriers still think MVNOs are just resale businesses, but the smart ones ”Amazon, Tesla, private 5G ”want control. A real wholesale network lets them build their own services, not just buy minutes and data. If someone cracks this, it reshapes the market.
11. Will UCaaS transition to enterprise mobile services?
It already is. Every UCaaS provider is looking at mobility because the old model ”desk phones, PBXs”is dead. The smart ones will move faster, integrate with mobile networks, and start offering true mobile-first enterprise solutions. If carriers don’t figure this out, UCaaS players will eat their lunch.
12. Will Apple embed basic terrestrial connectivity in the iPhone?
They already did it with satellite SOS. The next step is basic NTN connectivity text, voice, maybe emergency broadband. Apple doesn’t do things halfway. If they commit, it’s not a gimmick that’s a shift in how we think about connectivity.
13. Will Amazon Project Kuiper make a bigger move in retail?
Amazon isn’t building Kuiper just to sell satellite broadband. They’re looking at logistics, supply chain, and embedded connectivity. Their bigger play? Bundling it with Prime, AWS, and maybe even private 5G for enterprise customers.
14. Will Brendan Carr force EchoStar Corporation into stronger hands, delivering Trump a win on advanced networks?
Brendan’s not shy about pushing for domestic leadership in telecom. If EchoStar’s assets fit into a broader U.S. strategy whether for spectrum, LEO, or a national security play then yes, expect moves. We’ll see how it plays out, but we’re ready.
15. Will the market view Boost Mobile’s hyper-distributed edge cloud as a valuable strategic asset?
Most investors don’t understand what we’re building. Boost isn’t just a prepaid carrier it’s a platform. The market might be slow to get it, but when they do, they’ll see its one of the most valuable pieces of the puzzle. Compute, connectivity, and control at the edge that’s where telecom is going.
Charlie’s Final Thought:
2025 isn’t just another year it’s s a reset. Telecom, satellite, AI, and cloud are colliding in ways no one’s fully pricing in yet. The winners will be the ones who see the convergence before the market does.
Let’s keep pushing.