T-Mobile and SpaceX launch satellites to expand direct cell phone coverage

With an aim to bring connectivity to all parts of the United States, telecommunications company T-Mobile in collaboration with aerospace manufacturing company SpaceX on Wednesday launched the first set of Starlink satellites that will provide direct service to customers’ cell phones.

He said this new satellite service will benefit more than half a million square miles of the United States, including areas of the ocean that are not covered by terrestrial networks due to terrain limitations, land use restrictions and other geographic challenges. are done. Written statement.

The new service aims to provide an “additional layer of connectivity” in places that need it most. In its initial phase it will work for text messaging function And, in the coming years, they expect to include voice and data coverage, the telecom company reported.

It is currently unknown whether this service will be available to local customers. El Nuevo Día requested comment from the company, but has not yet received one.

“Our mission is to be the best in the world at connecting customers to their world, and today we take a new step forward to keep our customers connected, even in the most remote locations, so they can have peace of mind when they need it. Yes”, explains Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Product at T-Mobile,

Four international mobile service providers join alliance between T-Mobile and SpaceX to expand mobile services. Roaming, The new suppliers that were part of this launch were KDDI (Japan), Optus (Australia), One NZ (New Zealand) and Rogers (Canada), and others will join soon, as the call for companies is still open.

,Today’s launch (Wednesday) marks a milestone in this revolutionary partnership with SpaceX and our international partners around the world, as we work to make dead zones a thing of the past.”Katz communicated.

The launch will bring connectivity to virtually the entire country for customers on the “Un-Carrier” program (simplified plan structure for new customers), including so-called dead zones where the signal cannot reach.

The company announced that field trials on the new direct cell phone service will begin soon.,

For her part, Sarah Spangello, SpaceX’s senior director of satellite engineering, indicated that “the launch of these direct-to-cellular service satellites is an incredible milestone for SpaceX to showcase our technology.”

“Our goal is to rapidly expand the direct-to-sell service with our carrier partners around the world and launch the messaging service for T-Mobile customers,” he said.

The launch was announced last year along with the telco’s initiative, “Coverage Beyond Expectations”. The satellites were launched into low Earth orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Hawthorne, California.