This is a “Direct to Cell” technology developed by SpaceX in conjunction with the main wireless network operator in the US, T-Mobile. Since August 2022, the two sides have announced a cooperation, according to which T-Mobile will use SpaceX’s Starlink satellites owned by Elon Musk to provide users with network access in parts of the US.
On Wednesday (January 3), T-Mobile US also confirmed that the satellites carried on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket were in low Earth orbit that morning.
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Photo: T-Mobile
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will act as “cell phone towers in space.” Once the service is activated, T-Mobile customers will be “connected almost anywhere they can see the sky, and in most cases, with a phone,” according to a press release.
T-Mobile said the satellite messaging service will launch this year, followed by voice and data services (expected as early as late 2024 or early 2025). The timeline depends on approval from US regulators before commercialization.
Dr. Sara Spangelo, SpaceX’s senior director of satellite engineering, said the company plans to rapidly scale the project to operators around the world . “Launching these first live mobile satellites is an exciting milestone for SpaceX to demonstrate our technology,” she said.
Elon Musk said on social network X on January 3 that the service would enable mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth but would not be intended to compete with existing cell towers on the ground.
Not only T-Mobile, Elon Musk's company will also cooperate with carriers around the world such as KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, Salt Mobile in Switzerland, One NZ in New Zealand and Rogers in Canada to launch technology to directly connect satellite Internet to mobile phones.
Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters, Guardian, CNET)
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