Starlink, T-Mobile Target “ dead zones ” with cell satellite service

• T-Mobile and Starlink announced a cell satellite service to help eliminate “dead areas”.
• The service provides connectivity in areas not covered by cellular networks.
• T-Mobile Starlink will also be available for customers from other cellular networks.

T-Mobile targets cellular “dead zones” by offering satellite connectivity with Starlink for iPhone and Android users.

The network used an ad during the Super Bowl Sunday evening to launch the beta version of the cell satellite service, which will also be available for competitors customers such as Verizon and AT&T.

CEO Mike Sievert said in a press release that T-Mobile Starlink would automatically connect to compatible devices without cell coverage. “It is a massive technical achievement and an absolute game changer for all wireless users … We officially put” no bar “in notice,” he said.

Starlink, which is part of Elon Musk SpaceX, offers satellite coverage, which means that users will be able to send and receive text messages in areas not covered by mobile towers on the ground. About half a million square miles in the United States lack cell coverage-an area close to the equivalent of two states in the size of Texas.

The coverage of data and voice calls will follow later, said T-Mobile.

The Starlink service will be free until July for a limited number of testers. After that, T-Mobile customers in terms of Go5g Next will continue to have a free service. People on other plans will be billed $ 15 per month, reduced to $ 10 if they register before the end of February.

Customers on other networks will be billed $ 20 per month.

Potential users can register here.

Mobile networks offering similar satellite coverage in conjunction with Starlink include Rogers in Canada, The KDDI, Teltra and Optus from Japan in Australia, salt in Switzerland and Kyivstar in Ukraine.

Traffic Starlink tripled in 2024 after its launch in more countries, including Chad, Mongolia and Argentina.

It is also offered on flights from airlines, notably United, Air France and Qatar.

Elon Musk also donated Starlink free terminals to Los Angeles when the city was fighting forest fires in January.

T-mobile shares increased 4% in pre-commercial trade in New York. The action has increased by more than 50% in the last 12 months, evaluating the company at $ 281 billion.