SpaceX has published a recent webpage to advertise its upcoming “Starlink Direct to Cell” service that plans to supply cellular connectivity to “existing LTE phones” via satellite. The web site, which reports went live earlier this week, notes that the service will initially be limited to texting services in 2024, with voice and data functionality following in 2025, alongside support for IoT devices.
“Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you’ll be able to see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data,” SpaceX’s website reads.
The Elon Musk-owned space company announced plans for the service last yr alongside US partner T-Mobile. The service is more likely to be relatively slow by terrestrial standards, with speeds estimated at between two and 4 megabits per second, but its profit shall be within the breadth of coverage. T-Mobile’s press release from last yr says the service shall be available “practically all over the place within the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters, even outside the signal of T-Mobile’s network.”
Satellite connectivity has been a growing trend for smartphones lately. Apple added an Emergency SOS feature to its phones last yr that permits iPhone 14 devices and newer to send limited messages and site information via satellite in emergency situations. Meanwhile AT&T-backed cellular satellite company AST SpaceMobile announced it had placed the primary satellite call over 5G from an unmodified smartphone last month.