The end of the white zones is over, believes Elon Musk, who announces a Starlink satellite SMS service next year. A first agreement with T-Mobile US is announced. An interesting step forward.
Sending a message from a mountain, in the heart of a vast forest or a stretch of ocean will finally be possible with a classic smartphone. This announcement was made in the United States by T-Mobile and SpaceX. The CEOs of the two companies, Mike Sievert and Elon Musk, explained the launch at the end of 2023 of a communication service by SMS / MMS initially, then voice services, via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Through the company SpaceX, the latter owns,…
Sending a message from a mountain, in the heart of a vast forest or a stretch of ocean will finally be possible with a classic smartphone. This announcement was made in the United States by T-Mobile and SpaceX. The CEOs of the two companies, Mike Sievert and Elon Musk, explained the launch at the end of 2023 of a communication service by SMS / MMS initially, then voice services, via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Through the company SpaceX, the latter has a constellation of more than 2,300 satellites providing access to fast internet. It will be adapted to provide communication service to the smartphones of T-Mobile subscribers, in areas without coverage or in the event of a natural disaster, when mobile networks are disrupted. “Our most popular subscriptions will include this service for free,” promises Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile during the announcement made in Texas, in front of some prototypes of Starship, the rocket that will send the satellites. Satellite telephony currently requires equipment and a specific subscription. An entry-level Iridium terminal costs 350 euros. However, we will have to wait for the arrival of a new generation of satellites, larger than the current Starlinks and equipped with a huge 25 m2 antenna, essential for sending a signal to telephones at an altitude of 500 km. T-Mobile promises that the service will be available to visitors to the United States, apparently on a reciprocal basis, by opening the same service in the visitors’ countries. “It is an open invitation to all telecom operators in the world”, explains Elon Musk. Proximus analyzes the question. Its interest is measured because its network covers 99% of the Belgian population and will be improved with the pooling of antennas with Orange. This service could be more interesting for countries that have poorly covered areas, such as the Alps or the Pyrenees. The rocket capable of launching these new heavier satellites is not yet in service. Called Starship, it will carry 100 tons, compared to less than 23 tons for the Dragon rocket used for the current Starlinks. When the service opens, the number of satellites will not be sufficient to ensure permanent connectivity. Elon Musk warns that it will take, at first, up to 30 minutes to send a message.
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