The new plans, which will run alongside T-mobile’s existing cellular services, will reduce the need for cell towers and offer service to send text and images where there is currently no cell coverage, key to emergencies in remote areas, Musk said at a flamboyant event Thursday at his company’s rocket facility in South Texas. Starlink’s satellites will use T-Mobile’s midband spectrum to build a new network. Most phones used by the company’s customers will be compatible with the new service, which will launch with text messaging services in beta starting late next year. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink satellites, the first of which is planned to launch on SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket when fully deployed, will have larger antennas that will allow direct connection to cellphones on the T-mobile network, Musk said. SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Siewert attend a joint press conference at SpaceX Starbase, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Adrees Latif read more “We’re building a special antenna … They’re actually very large antennas that are extremely advanced,” he said. “The important thing is that you won’t need to get a new phone. The phone you currently have will work.” Meanwhile, US telcos are racing to build the midband portion of their 5G networks to catch up with T-Mobile, which acquired a massive 2.5GHz midband spectrum thanks to its acquisition of competitive Sprint. Mid-band or C-Band has proven to be perfect for 5G as it provides a good balance of capacity and coverage. The carrier said it plans to pursue voice and data coverage after the beta phase of its text messaging services. Satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile Inc ( ASTS.O ) is also building a global cellular broadband network in space that will work with mobile devices without the need for additional hardware. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington, Akash Sriram and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru. Edited by Rosalba O’Brien and Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
