T-Mobile, SpaceX Partner To Boost Connectivity In Areas With No Cellular Coverage
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
T-Mobile is looking to SpaceX's satellites in the skies to help flesh out its network coverage. On Thursday, the two companies announced that they will be working together to "bring cell phone connectivity everywhere," including offering "complete coverage in most places in the US."
The partnership aims to use SpaceX's constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to beam down connectivity that T-Mobile users can tap into. While SpaceX already offers home internet service around the globe through its Starlink program, with this program T-Mobile users should be able to connect to the SpaceX satellites through a "new network, broadcast from Starlink's satellites using T-Mobile's midband spectrum nationwide."
Although the company hasn't yet offered specifics on where the network will appear, T-Mobile says it should deliver "nearly complete coverage almost anywhere a customer can see the sky," with the companies envisioning this service as a replacement for using satellite phones in remote areas like a national park or in the mountains.
The carrier will start offering service through SpaceX in a beta that will take place in "select areas by the end of next year" as SpaceX launches its Starlink V2 satellites. Once operational, the network should cover the continental US as well as Hawaii, "parts" of Alaska, Puerto Rico and "territorial waters."
The beta will initially be limited just to text messaging (via SMS, MMS and "participating messaging apps") though T-Mobile and SpaceX are open to adding voice and data support in the future (albeit with no timeline given beyond "the coming years").
[...] Because the new network is broadcasting over T-Mobile's midband spectrum, the wireless carrier said that the "vast majority of smartphones" already on its network will be compatible with the new service and that users won't necessarily need to buy a new phone to tap into the signal. The cellular network will be exclusive to T-Mobile customers and will exist alongside SpaceX's Starlink broadband program on future satellites that SpaceX launches.
[...] As for pricing, Sievert said the company plans to include it on the carrier's "most popular plans," though older or cheaper plans may need to pay a monthly fee for the feature.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.