{"id":17359,"date":"2022-08-26T01:45:22","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T17:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/t-mobiles-coverage-will-get-a-big-boost-from-spacexs-starlink-satellites-starting-with-texts\/"},"modified":"2022-08-26T01:45:22","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T17:45:22","slug":"t-mobiles-coverage-will-get-a-big-boost-from-spacexs-starlink-satellites-starting-with-texts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/t-mobiles-coverage-will-get-a-big-boost-from-spacexs-starlink-satellites-starting-with-texts\/","title":{"rendered":"T-Mobile\u2019s coverage will get a big boost from SpaceX\u2019s Starlink satellites, starting with texts"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-630x507.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-718808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-630x507.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-1260x1014.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-768x618.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-1536x1237.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/220826-sievert-musk2-2048x1649.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption>Starship prototypes serve as a backdrop for T-Mobile\u2019s Mike Sievert and SpaceX\u2019s Elon Musk. (T-Mobile Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>T-Mobile subscribers will be getting a satellite upgrade to their wireless service, thanks to a newly announced partnership that takes advantage of SpaceX\u2019s Starlink constellation.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t expect to start streaming high-definition videos via satellite to your T-Mobile connected devices immediately: The beta version of Starlink\u2019s broadband boost won\u2019t start rolling out in select areas until next year, after a series of SpaceX satellite launches.<\/p>\n<p>That rollout will begin with text messaging, including SMS, MMS and messaging apps. Voice and data coverage will come later.<\/p>\n<p>T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk laid out the details behind the deal today during a live presentation at SpaceX\u2019s Starbase facility in South Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Sievert said the partnership calls for creating a new network, composed of Starlink satellites that can use T-Mobile\u2019s mid-band spectrum nationwide. He said the vast majority of smartphones already on its network would be compatible with the new satellite-plus-cellular service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can connect with your existing phone,\u201d Sievert promised. He said he expected to include the Starlink-enabled service free with T-Mobile\u2019s most popular plans. With less popular plans, a monthly fee might be charged, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The hybrid service is designed to be available practically anywhere in the continental U.S. and Hawaii, plus parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico, U.S. territorial waters and vast stretches of the world\u2019s oceans. That means T-Mobile\u2019s customers could get a signal in traditionally inaccessible locales, including national parks and wilderness areas.<\/p>\n<p>Sievert called it \u201cthe end of mobile dead zones.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SpaceX and T-Mobile promise end of 'dead zones'\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oeXuYhN5uQc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Musk played up the idea that people who get into trouble in isolated areas would be able to get in contact with the outside world, even if no cell towers were available. \u201cIt will save lives,\u201d he told the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX is already the world\u2019s leader in providing satellite broadband service from low Earth orbit. Over the past three years, it has launched more than 3,000 of its Starlink satellites, which are manufactured at SpaceX\u2019s facility in Redmond, Wash. About 2,300 of those satellites are currently in operation, according to satellite-watcher Jonathan McDowell\u2019s Starlink Statistics webpage.<\/p>\n<p>Musk said the new generation of satellites would have to be equipped with large, \u201cextremely advanced\u201d antennas. \u201cIt\u2019s a hard problem, that why it\u2019s not been solved before,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>The next-generation satellites will be designed for launch on SpaceX\u2019s giant Starship rocket, which is currently under development. If that development effort runs into snags, SpaceX may come up with an interim solution that would allow the satellites to be launched on the workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, Musk said.<\/p>\n<p>Starlink is said to have more than 400,000 subscribers worldwide, while Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile US reports having 110 million customers. The newly announced team-up could boost T-Mobile in its competition with the likes of Verizon and AT&amp;T for cellular customers, and strengthen SpaceX\u2019s hand as Starlink goes up against OneWeb and Amazon\u2019s yet-to-be-launched Project Kuiper satellite broadband network.<\/p>\n<p>Financial details behind the partnership were not immediately announced.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, Sievert didn\u2019t rule out the idea that T-Mobile could have Starlink handle backhaul transport for its data. \u201cWell, we\u2019re open to that, and we\u2019re partners now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Although T-Mobile and SpaceX made clear that the new service would be phased in gradually, starting next year, they laid out a grand vision for what T-Mobile called \u201cCoverage Above and Beyond.\u201d Sievert invited telecom network providers around the world to collaborate on global connectivity, with T-Mobile committing itself to offering reciprocal roaming to those providers who accept the invitation.<\/p>\n<p>Musk went even further when he was asked how the partnership with T-Mobile meshed with his plans for solar system exploration and settlement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019d love to have T-Mobile on Mars,\u201d Musk said, sparking cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 6:45 p.m. PT Aug. 25:<\/strong> In a tweet, Musk emphasized that the T-Mobile-Starlink system as currently envisioned may not be capable of, say, streaming that high-definition movie:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1562963693490475010&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2022%2Ft-mobiles-coverage-will-get-a-big-boost-from-spacexs-starlink-satellites-starting-with-texts%2F&amp;sessionId=ebb80461e54664816195093564ac51f26afe4514&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1562963693490475010\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799711293922627=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Note, connectivity will be 2 to 4 Mbits per cell zone, so will work great for texting &amp; voice calls, but not high bandwidth<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Watch the full presentation on YouTube<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starship prototypes serve as a backdrop for T-Mobile\u2019s Mike Sievert and SpaceX\u2019s Elon Musk. (T-Mobile Photo) T-Mobile subscribers will be getting a satellite upgrade to their wireless service, thanks to a newly announced partnership that takes advantage of SpaceX\u2019s Starlink constellation. But don\u2019t expect to start streaming high-definition videos via satellite to your T-Mobile connected [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[252,20,4336,442,316,440,1491,4623],"class_list":["post-17359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-broadband","tag-satellite","tag-satellite-broadband","tag-satellites","tag-spacex","tag-starlink","tag-t-mobile","tag-wireless"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17359"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17359\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}