T-Mobile and SpaceX intend to provide communications to all regions, even previously inaccessible to traditional cellular signals. However, due to the limited power of telephone transmitters, at first users will only be able to send and receive text messages and MMS at speeds from 2 to 4 Mbit/s. However, in the future, the technology should develop and then companies will provide coverage for voice and data transmission.
Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, and Mike Sievert, the president of T-Mobile, said during a joint press conference at the Starbase spaceport in Texas that cellular satellite communications will be available wherever there is coverage of the Starlink satellite constellation. The service will operate on T-Mobile frequencies in the US for now, although the companies say they are ready to negotiate with providers in other countries to launch mutual roaming.
Note, connectivity will be 2 to 4 Mbits per cell zone, so will work great for texting & voice calls, but not high bandwidth
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022
“It’s a lot like putting a cell tower in the sky, but much more complicated,” Sievert said. “Your phone doesn’t actually know that it’s connecting from space. It will think it is connected to a cell tower because the phone uses standard communication protocols on certain frequencies, like the vast majority of phones in circulation today.”
Elon Musk added: “We need to do more than just reprogram the satellite. We make a special antenna, the most advanced phased array antenna in the world. They must pick up a very weak signal from your mobile phone. There is quite a lot of complex hardware and software because it moves so fast – they move overhead at 17,000 miles per hour. Normally a cell tower doesn’t move at 17,000 miles per hour.”
T-Mobile suggests that satellite communications will be included free of charge “in the most popular tariff plans” of the operator, although the company has not yet fully decided on this issue. It is important that subscribers do not have to change their existing phones.
Elon Musk also tweeted that Tesla will use this technology in its electric vehicles. Currently, Teslas in America are connected to the Internet through AT&T.
Sources: SpaceX, T-Mobile
