T-Mobile & SpaceX’s Fleet Of Satellites Join Forces To Cover ‘Dead Zones’
While most people would be accustomed to getting wireless cell signal everywhere they go, there are remote areas of the United States that still remain untouched by mobile service.
That’s where T-Mobile plans to come in, by partnering SpaceX’s satellite internet service to offer its customers an “extra layer” of cell service.
The mobile operator is also planning on expanding the roaming service to carriers elsewhere globally, with Starlink’s constellations providing the connectivity for people all over the world.
At an event announcing the collaboration, SpaceX founder Elon Musk launched an open invitation to carriers around the world to join the plan, and revealed that the forthcoming service—which will rely on version-two Starlink satellites—will probably roll out next year.
“The important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone,” explained Musk.
According to the press release, to provide this service, the companies will create a new network, which will broadcast from Starlink’s satellites using T-Mobile’s midband spectrum nationwide, allowing customers to enjoy complete coverage almost anywhere they can see the sky.
The project will start out by rolling out text coverage everywhere in the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico, and territorial waters, before moving on to add voice and data coverage.
