The United States wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc. will use Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to provide mobile users with network access in certain parts of the United States, the companies announced on Thursday. The companies also detailed their plans to connect users’ mobile phones directly to satellites in orbit.
Musk made the announcement during a flashy event that took place on Thursday at his company’s rocket facility in south Texas. The new plans, which would exist alongside T-existing mobile’s cellular services, would eliminate the need for cell towers and offer service for sending texts and images in areas where cell coverage does not currently exist. This is important for emergency situations in remote areas.
The new network that will be created by Starlink’s satellites will make use of T-mid-band Mobile’s spectrum. The new service, which will begin with texting services in a beta phase commencing at the end of the year in the next year, will be compatible with the majority of the phones that the company’s customers already use.
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Since the beginning of 2019, SpaceX has successfully launched nearly three times as many low-Earth-orbiting Starlink satellites as its competitors, OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc.’s Project Kuiper.
Musk has stated that SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink satellites, the first of which is scheduled to launch on SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket whenever it is fully developed, will have larger antennae that will enable connectivity directly to mobile phones on the T-mobile network. The launch of the first of these satellites is planned to take place on SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket.
“We are currently working on creating a unique antenna…. They are, in reality, quite large antennas that are of the most cutting-edge design,” he stated. “The crucial point to remember is that you will not need to purchase a new phone. The phone you presently have will be able to function properly.”
In the meantime, telecommunications companies in the United States are competing with one another to expand the mid-band portions of their 5G networks in order to catch up to T-Mobile, which recently acquired a sizable 2.5 GHz of mid-band spectrum as a result of its acquisition of its competitor Sprint.
It has been determined that the mid-band or C-band is the ideal spectrum for 5G since it offers an optimal mix of capacity and coverage.
After the beta test for the texting services, the carrier has stated that it intends to move forward with voice and data coverage.
A global cellular broadband network in space is currently being constructed by the satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile Inc. This network will be compatible with mobile devices and will not require any additional gear to operate.
