Starlink launches first “cellphone towers in space” for use with LTE phones
arstechnica.com
T-Mobile field tests begin soon—texting to be available before voice and data.
  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    2•6 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The enhanced Starlink satellites have an advanced modem that acts as a cellphone tower in space, eliminating dead zones with network integration similar to a standard roaming partner," the company said.

    SpaceX said the other carriers are Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, One NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland, and Entel in Chile and Peru.

    While SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote that the satellites will “allow for mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth,” he also described a significant bandwidth limit.

    “With well over half a million square miles of the US and vast stretches of ocean unreachable by terrestrial network coverage, due to terrain limitations, land-use restrictions and more, this new service aims to give customers a crucial additional layer of connectivity when and where they need it most,” T-Mobile said.

    T-Mobile noted that yesterday’s SpaceX launch was “the first of many” to include Starlink satellites with cellular capabilities, but was vague on when exactly the different components of direct-to-cell service will become available to customers.

    “Initially, the service will begin with text messaging, with voice and data coverage to follow in the coming years,” T-Mobile said.

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