SpaceX satellites will connect directly to T-Mobile phones to provide network connectivity to the most isolated parts of the world beyond the range of cell phone base stations, Elon Musk’s company and the German telecom giant announced Thursday.
The new service — which will use SpaceX’s thousands of Starlink satellites already in orbit and work on phones on the market today — will initially enable texting from late 2023, while voice services will follow.
“Importantly, this means there will be no ‘white areas’ – anywhere in the world – for your phone,” Elon Musk said during an event at the SpaceX space center in Texas, United States.
The service “will save lives,” Musk said, using as an example hikers who are lost and currently unable to call for help.
Although satellite internet access has been around for several years, users currently require specialized equipment such as Starlink terminals.
T-Mobile CEO Mike Siewert believes the service will be included for free with most existing plans, but there may be a charge on the cheapest plans.
The service will initially be offered to customers in the United States, but T-Mobile plans to expand it to other markets in the future, Sievert said. “It’s like putting a cell phone antenna in the sky, but much more complicated,” he explained.
Competition in the satellite internet access market is intensifying rapidly. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently announced plans to launch about 3,200 satellites.
China plans to deploy a constellation of 13,000 satellites called Guowang, while the European Union wants to launch about 250 by 2024.
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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