At the end of last year, T-Mobile said he was preparing to start Spacex’s Starlink service. It seems that the program is ready for the rise, with the carrier expected to announce during the Super Bowl that it has begun to let the user enter the satellite service.
As part of beta, people in the program will be able to send text messages with SMS when they are out, even in areas where they do not normally receive T-Mobile land coverage. Beta service will be free and open to all Postpaid T-Mobile users by July, with the carrier also making it free available during this time for AT&T and Verizon customers.
In July, the carrier plans to start loading the service. It will be included as part of the most precious T-Mobile plan and available as an addition to its other plans for $ 15 a month, per line. T-Mobile users by registering for service this month will be able to block a deducted rate of $ 10 per month, for line as part of an “early adoptive” deal.
AT&T and Verizon users will be able to continue using $ 20 a month, per line. Those users will not have to switch to T-Mobile to add Starlink service, but you will need an unlocked compatible device that supports Esims.
Users of T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon interested in registering in beta can do so on the T-Mobile website, with the carrier planning to add users to the new service on a first basis, served for the first time. As it goes to the list, it will come again with instructions when users registering in beta are able to merge.
The carrier was not planning to provide satellite coverage to AT&T and Verizon users but says it moved to do so after seeing the latest advertising containing astronaut Buzz Aldrin following satellite messages on its network. Advertising has already accumulated over 8 million views on YouTube.
Clint Patterson, a senior Vice President of T-Mobile, tells Cnet when it comes to supporting rival carriers “honestly, this was not part of our original Plan for Super Bowl”.
“When we saw the latest advertisement Verizon, advertising something you can’t do on Verizon’s network, we felt like we had to act.”
T-Mobile says she and Starlink have more than 450 satellites currently in orbit that “offer coverage of 500,000 square miles of inaccessible ground from land”.
Patterson said T-Mobile has already added “tens of thousands” users to beta.
The carrier notes that it is working with spacex and equipment manufacturers in optimizing intelligent phones to be able to connect to the new service, with the aim of as long as you have a view of the sky, you must be able to stay connected.
T-Mobile says he is working with manufacturers to “provide most of the T-Mobile phones released in the last four years will work with T-Mobile Starlink”, including the iPhone 14 and the Galaxy S21.
Coverage in urgent cases
T-Mobile and Spacex first announced their partnership in 2022 and have recently used technology to keep people informed and connected during natural disasters. Both companies previously returned the service in response to Hurricanes Milton and Hellenic last year and this month enabled it to people dealing with Los Angeles fires.
In urgent situations, the company can make the service available to everyone, regardless of the plan, according to Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and T-Mobile products. “At the emergency time, you need to bring down your competitive guards and realize that there are more important things … and that people affected by these tragedies need help,” he said. “So it will always be our guide principle for those things.”
As part of setting him in response to Los Angeles fires, the carrier only opened Starlink support for most android phones and older iPhone models before iPhone 14. Those with an iPhone 14 or newer phone were postponed Use Apple’s satellite service, which the iPhone creator offers with Globalstar.
With beta and full start, T-Mobile will support the latest equipment in both Android and iOS. The carrier is not providing a list of compatible equipment, but Katz notes that the available Beta phones will be the least number of acceptable equipment, and literally, as perhaps weekly, it will expand. “
“All the newest devices at one point will be included in it,” Katz said, adding that the carrier will notify customers when their phone is compatible for beta.
T-Mobile said that as part of the opening of this new beta service, he will also be able to use Starlink constellation to be able to broadcast wireless emergency alerts from government and local officials across the country for anyone , whether they have T -Mobile or another provider.
Starting with the text, the data coming this year
Although the Starlink’s initial service of T-Mobile and Spacex will focus on messages, the plan is to add voice support and data, something that can help the carrier’s offer come out of what is joined by equipment manufacturers.
Patterson said that although the carrier is starting with SMS writing messages in beta, he plans to provide satellite data services “later this year” and voice services such as calling in the future.
Apple’s satellite solution allows the delivery of messages to emergency services and, with iOS 18, regular satellite imessages. Google recently introduced a possibility of emergency satellite messages in partnership with Skylo provider for his Pixel 9 telephone series; Just just for urgent messages.
Apple and Google do not currently upload for their satellite messaging services, although the two have hinted they can add a fee for the function below the line.
Katz said that while T-Mobile operates through beta and towards a trading start, phones will know how to handle conflicts between different satellite services, with the first option being the carrier service rather than one by one manufacturer. “The phones are all designed to search the carrier network first and then go to the other,” he said. “And this is an extension of the transport network.”
Look at this: Apple VS Google: Satellite Emergency Characteristics Compare