On Tuesday, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket into space with six Starlink satellites that can connect directly to mobile phones anywhere on Earth, eliminating dead zones.
The Elon Musk-owned company is scheduled to test this service in the United States in partnership with T-Mobile later this year. SpaceX has also partnered with six other cellular network providers — Optus, Rogers, Entel, Kiddi, One NZ, and Salt — to provide the service in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, and Switzerland.
SpaceX says “Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capability have an advanced eNodeB modem onboard that acts like a cellphone tower in space, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner.” “Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data,“ the company further adds.
Text service to go live in 2024
On the official website, Starlink says that the text service will kick off this year, whereas, the voice and data will go live in 2025. The Direct to Cell technology will also work with IOT devices, allowing those products to stay connected to the internet even from remote areas, where there’s no terrestrial network. The IOT service will also kick off in 2025.
In a post on X, Elon Musk said that Starlink Direct to Cell “supports ~7Mb per beam and the beams are very big, so while this is a great solution for locations with no cellular connectivity, it is not meaningfully competitive with existing terrestrial cellular networks.” The statement makes it clear that this service is not a replacement for terrestrial cellular networks. Instead, it will act as a substitute in areas with no terrestrial cellular networks.
