SpaceX has released a new web page announcing its upcoming Starlink Direct to Cell satellite internet service, which plans to provide cellular satellite connectivity to existing 4G LTE phones.
The website says that the service will initially be limited to text messages in 2024, before adding support for voice calls and Internet connectivity in 2025, in addition to support for Internet of Things devices.
The site also states: “Direct to Cell works with LTE phones anywhere you can see the sky. Seamless access to text messages, voice calls, and data requires no changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps.
Starlink, the space company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, announced last year plans to enter into a partnership with US telecommunications company T-Mobile to provide the service.
The service can be relatively slow compared to terrestrial communications speeds, with rated throughput ranging between 2 and 4 Mbps, but it has the advantage of providing very wide coverage.
A T-Mobile press release issued last year said the service would be available "largely in parts of the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, as well as in territorial waters, even outside of areas where T-Mobile's network is present. The signal is there." available.
In recent years, satellite communications have become a growing trend for smartphones.
Apple added SOS to its phones last year, a feature that allows the iPhone 14 and later models to send limited messages and location information via satellite in emergency situations.
Meanwhile, AST SpaceMobile, a satellite communications company backed by US wireless carrier AT&T, announced the first 5G satellite connection via an unmodified smartphone last month.