SpaceX and T-Mobile to Test Satellite-to-Cell Service this Year

SpaceX and T-Mobile will start testing satellite-to-cell service this year.

So said SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Commercial Sales Jonathan Hofeller Monday (March 13) during a Satellite 2023 conference in Washington, D.C., Seeking Alpha reported Monday.

With satellite-to-cell service, users will be able to send text messages and images from areas that are currently in traditional networks’ dead zones, SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk said in August 2022, according to the report.

“We will no longer read about these tragedies that happened where people got lost and if only they could have called for help they’d be OK,” Musk said at the time, per the report.

SpaceX and T-Mobile announced their plans to provide “truly universal coverage” in August 2022, saying they would pair the former’s satellite constellation with the latter’s wireless network.

An area of over 500,000 square miles in the United States cannot be reached by the cell signals of any provider, T-Mobile said at the time in a press release.

The companies’ aim with this project is to build connectivity in these areas that is compatible with most of the smartphones already used by T-Mobile customers, with no need to add any equipment, the release said.

“We’ve always thought differently about what it means to keep customers connected, and that’s why we’re working with the best to deliver coverage above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said at the time.

On March 1, Swiss-based European telecommunications provider Salt announced that it has partnered with SpaceX to use the latter’s satellite technology to deliver continuous coverage throughout Switzerland.

Salt said at the time that its customers will have continuous coverage for text messaging starting in 2024 and for voice and data services by 2025, according to its March 1 press release.

“We always strive to bring the best technology and innovation to our customers, and working with SpaceX is a major step forward in that mission,” Salt Chairman Marc Furrer said at the time. “With full coverage and seamless usage, this service will be a game changer for anyone who needs reliable telecommunication services: the sky is the limit!”