Partnering With Starlink, T-Mobile Will Connect Cell Phones Directly To Satellite

JAKARTA - US wireless operator T-Mobile US Inc. will use SpaceX's Starlink satellite to provide network access to mobile users in parts of the United States. This was announced by the company's management on Thursday, August 25, outlining plans to connect users' phones directly to satellites in orbit.

The new plan, which will exist in addition to T-mobile's existing cellular services, will reduce the need for cell towers. It is even able to offer a service to send texts and images where cellular coverage currently does not exist. "It could even be a solution for emergency situations in remote areas," said Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, last Thursday at his company's rocket facility in southern Texas.

The Starlink satellites will use T-Mobile's mid-band spectrum to create the new network. Most of the phones used by enterprise customers will be compatible with the new service, which will start with the SMS service in a beta phase starting at the end of next year.

SpaceX has launched nearly 3.000 Earth-orbiting Starlink satellites since 2019, easily surpassing rivals OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc's Project Kuiper.

SpaceX's next-generation Starlink satellite, the first of which is planned to launch on SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket. "It will have a larger antenna that will allow direct connectivity to phones on the T-mobile network," Musk said.

"We are building special antennas. They are actually very large antennas that are very sophisticated," he said. "What's important is that you don't have to get a new phone. The phone you currently have will still work."

Meanwhile, US telcos are currently racing to build a mid-band portion of their 5G network to catch up with T-Mobile, which bagged 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum thanks to the purchase of rival Sprint.

Mid-band or C-Band has proven perfect for 5G, as it provides a good balance of capacity and coverage.

The carrier said it is targeting to pursue voice and data coverage after the beta phase of the SMS service.

Satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile Inc is also building a global mobile broadband network in space that will operate on mobile devices without the need for additional hardware.