SpaceX founder Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert on stage during a joint T-Mobile and SpaceX event in Boca Chica Beach, Texas, on August 25, 2022.
Miguel González | fake images
SpaceX successfully sent text messages via Starlink satellites using T Mobile network, announced Wednesday, as Elon Musk's company aims to bring its direct-to-device cellular service to market next year.
The recent test comes as major players pursue the market for connecting unmodified phones directly to satellites, a nascent subsector of the space economy.
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SpaceX last week launched the first six Starlink satellites equipped with direct-to-device, or D2D, capabilities, after receiving authorization from the Federal Communications Commission last month to test the technology.
The company said it conducted the texting demonstration on Monday, in which SpaceX “sent and received our first text messages to and from unmodified cell phones on the ground to our new satellites in space,” and stated that the test “validates” that “the system works.”
The company said “there is incredible demand and great interest” in adding D2D capabilities to its Starlink network, highlighting its partnerships with mobile operators such as T-Mobile, Canada's Rogers, Australia's Optus and Japan's KDDI.
SpaceX plans to begin offering D2D text services this year and hopes to expand with voice, data and Internet of Things services in 2025. So far, the company has expanded Starlink Internet service to a network of more than 5,000 satellites in orbit , with more than 2.3 million customers around the world.
Several smartphone manufacturers, service providers and satellite companies have partnered to implement the D2D service. For example, Apple is spending big to offer its “Emergency SOS with Satellite” service, which it launched with the iPhone 14 models, thanks to a collaboration with the satellite operator. global star.
Qualcomm ended its association with the satellite communications company Iridium late last year, and the latter on Wednesday pivoted toward a new effort he calls “Project Stardust.” Iridium plans to test its D2D service in 2025 and begin rolling it out in 2026.
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