According to Musk, the second-generation Starlink satellites launching next year will be able to broadcast service using some of T-Mobile’s mid-band PCS spectrum, which was boosted when it was allowed to buy Sprint a few years ago. Musk said the new satellites have “big, big antennas” that are 5 to 6 meters wide to allow for the new connections, and that the plan is to launch the equipment using the upcoming Starship rocket. Note, connectivity will be 2 to 4 Mbit per cell band, so it will work great for texting and voice calls, but not high bandwidth — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022 The company says it will let you send SMS messages, send MMS messages, and even use “messaging app options” whenever you have a clear view of the sky, even if traditional service isn’t available. According to a press release from T-Mobile, the “cell-based satellite service” will be available “throughout the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters.” “If there aren’t too many people in the cell zone, you might even get some video,” Musk said. As Sievert described it, operators of messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage will have to work with T-Mobile and Starlink to have their services recognize the satellite connection and work with it once it’s up and running. Musk went into a bit more detail, saying that unlike regular Internet service, it could work without access to Starlink’s full constellation of satellites. By limiting it to certain messages and services, and only to places that don’t currently have mobile connectivity, it could use a more intermittent connection for “basic” coverage, although you might have to wait 30 minutes for a message through. The two executives said they are seeking partnerships with carriers around the world interested in reciprocal spectrum sharing agreements so their customers can connect to SpaceX. T-Mobile customers could also use these connections when coming to other countries. Musk also said on Twitter that one of his other companies, Tesla, will use the technology to enable premium connectivity in its electric vehicles. Tesla currently uses AT&T’s network for things like live traffic visualization, satellite view maps, and music streaming. Musk said the service can work even when your phone is in your pocket or in a car. Image: SpaceX The service will be in beta until the end of next year in “select regions,” and Sievert says he hopes it will one day include data. He says that when it launches, T-Mobile’s “vision” is to include it free on the carrier’s “most popular plans,” though he said today’s event isn’t an official announcement. He said T-Mobile wants to make it available to people with “low-cost” plans at a “monthly service fee” lower than current satellite connectivity services. (This potentially includes a wide range of prices, however — Garmin’s InReach satellite messenger subscription plans, for example, start at $14.95 per month but go as high as $64.95 per month.) T-Mobile says subscribers’ current phones will be able to use the network — no special equipment required. As Elon Musk said in the announcement: “the phone you have right now will work.” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon MuskImage: SpaceX The fact that it uses traditional cell spectrum is a bit of a double-edged sword. Not requiring special equipment is an obvious advantage, but T-Mobile does not own the rights to this spectrum worldwide. So while SpaceX’s satellites could technically communicate with phones internationally, T-Mobile may not have rights to the same bands its system uses when you take your phone to another country or international waters. This is not the case for traditional satellite communications networks, such as the Iridium system used by Garmin. If phone makers wanted to introduce their own version of this feature, which Apple is rumored to be working on, partnering with other satellite providers could get them more coverage than T-Mobile plans to offer. As Walter Piecyk, an analyst at Lightshed Partners, tells The Verge: “Apple and Samsung may have an easier time integrating existing satellite connectivity into their upcoming phones than Starlink will face trying to combine rights spectrum with wireless carriers around the world.” Battles over spectrum rights could get messy and already are. T-Mobile and Verizon lobbied the Federal Communications Commission to stop a company called AST & Science from launching satellites that could provide cell phone service from space, arguing that its system could interfere with terrestrial networks her. SpaceX is locked in a battle with Dish Networks over 12Ghz spectrum, which the latter wants to use for terrestrial 5G. Musk’s company has warned home internet users that Dish using 12Ghz could completely destroy their satellite internet service. Analysts even questioned whether the service announced today would require additional approvals from the FCC. Earlier this year, SpaceX lost a bid for rural internet subsidies because of the cost of its equipment. But if it can return T-Mobile’s existing equipment, which people in rural areas may already own, that could help its case with the Federal Communications Commission. Thursday’s presentation certainly struck a chord with rural coverage, with videos of people in remote parks, mountains or animal pastures. Update 10:15 p.m. ET: added information about where the service will be able to cover, as well as Tesla using it for premium connectivity in its cars.
