SpaceX partners with T-Mobile to provide cellular service across the US

SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile in the first major step towards the end of the cellular dead zone, SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said on Aug. 26. The announcement was made at a live event held at Starbase, Texas.

The service aims to connect any consumer device in the United States without the need for bulky satellite phones. T-Mobile says the majority of smartphones on its network are already compatible.

The companies will partner to create a new network that will broadcast using Starlink’s low earth orbit satellites on T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum.

At launch, the service will support SMS and MMS messaging, with plans to add voice services in the future. The program is expected to enter the beta stage at the end of next year, after SpaceX’s planned satellite launch.

In a press release, T-Mobile said in a press release that more than half a million square miles of U.S. water and a “huge expanse” of water could mean no cellphone signal from any provider, largely due to land-use restrictions, geography, and just its size. said he had not received Country. And while satellite phones offer some peace of mind, they are often expensive and inconvenient. In addition to the continental United States, the new satellite service also includes Alaska and Hawaii.

The contract is non-exclusive. Musk also invited carriers around the world to partner with SpaceX, bringing coverage around the world. Pricing has not been announced.

seems like a good fit

With several satellite internet services already in operation, SpaceX’s entry into the cellular service space seems like a natural evolution for the company’s services. The Starlink satellite network constellation already has over 2,300 satellites in orbit, moving closer to the anticipated target of 40,000. The service caught the attention of Microsoft and Google, who signed a deal with SpaceX to provide computing resources to build the network.

By March 2022, Starlink announced it had reached the milestone of 250,000 subscribers. Just one month later, the company reported her over 400,000 subscribers to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

RELATED: Starlink’s median download speed increased by 58% in Canada

However, its expansion is not without obstacles. In August 2022, the FCC withdrew his US$885.5 million aid package to Starlink. It was originally given to the company to connect underserved communities in the United States. The FCC said Starlink “failed to demonstrate” its ability to deliver on its promises.

T-Mobile’s partnership with SpaceX comes just two months after the company announced Coverage Beyond as part of its Un-carrier initiative to expand its coverage. Coverage Beyond aims to provide free in-flight Wi-Fi to T-Mobile users. Also on the same day as SpaceX’s announcement, T-Mobile also announced partnerships with three of his companies to build augmented reality applications on his 5G network.