Aug 25 (Reuters) – U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc ( TMUS.O ) will use Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to provide mobile users with network access in parts of the United States, the companies announced Thursday, outlining their plans. to connect users’ mobile phones directly to satellites in orbit.
The new plans, which would exist alongside T-mobile’s existing cellular services, would eliminate the need for cell towers and provide service to send texts and pictures where there is currently no cell coverage, key for emergency situations in areas remotes, Musk said at a flashy event Thursday at his company’s rocket facility in South Texas.
Starlink satellites will use T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum to build a new network. Most phones used by the company’s customers will be compatible with the new service, which will begin with text messaging services in a beta phase late next year.
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SpaceX has launched nearly 3,000 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit since 2019, easily outpacing rivals OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc’s ( AMZN.O ) Project Kuiper.
SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink satellites, the first of which are slated to launch on SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket whenever it’s fully developed, will have larger antennas that will allow cellphones to connect directly to the network T-mobile, Musk said.
SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert attend a joint press conference at SpaceX’s star base in Brownsville, Texas, US, on 25 August 2022. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
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“We’re building special antennas… They’re actually very large, very advanced antennas,” he said. “The important thing is that you won’t need to get a new phone. The phone you currently have will work.”
Meanwhile, US telcos are in a race to build out the midband portion of their 5G networks to catch up with T-Mobile, which scooped up a hefty 2.5GHz of band spectrum average thanks to the purchase of rival Sprint.
The mid-band or C-Band has proven to be perfect for 5G as it offers a good balance of capacity and coverage.
The carrier said it plans to pursue voice and data coverage after the beta phase of text messaging services.
Satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile Inc ( ASTS.O ) is also building a global cellular broadband network in space that will work with mobile devices without the need for additional hardware.
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Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington, Akash Sriram and Eva Mathews in Bangalore; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Leslie Adler
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