SpaceX launches first set of satellites aimed at providing global cellphone coverage

SpaceX has launched its first set of direct-to-cell Starlink satellites that intend to offer “cell connectivity anyplace on Earth.”

The corporate’s CEO, Elon Musk, confirmed on X (previously Twitter) that the brand new satellites shall be “an awesome answer for areas with no mobile connectivity” however warned that attributable to solely supporting lower than 7 MB per beam, connectivity will not be but “meaningfully aggressive with present terrestrial mobile networks.”

This basically signifies that whereas the brand new satellites assist fulfill Musk‘s purpose of delivering web entry to individuals around the globe who don’t have direct entry to high-speed web, they aren’t but an appropriate various to your on a regular basis community utilization.

It will enable for cell phone connectivity anyplace on Earth.

Observe, this solely helps ~7Mb per beam and the beams are very large, so whereas this can be a nice answer for areas with no mobile connectivity, it isn’t meaningfully aggressive with present terrestrial… https://t.co/ymHpw8XBHl

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2024

In keeping with Starlink‘s web site, their satellites with direct-to-cell capabilities allow ubiquitous entry to texting, calling, and looking wherever you could be on land, lakes, or coastal waters. Direct-to-cell connectivity will work with all present LTE (4G cell connection) telephones “wherever you’ll be able to see the sky.” No {hardware} or firmware updates are required.

Starlink describes its satellite tv for pc community as a “cellphone tower in house” and guarantees community integration much like a typical accomplice.

SpaceX has initially launched the direct-to-cell satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket earlier than Starship will take over. The satellites will then instantly “join over laser backhaul” to the Starlink constellation, which can lead to world connectivity, even in essentially the most rural of areas on the planet.

Starlink has grown a community of roughly 5,000 satellites since 2019, turning into the world’s largest satellite tv for pc operator on this planet. In November final yr, Musk introduced the corporate had achieved cash-flow breakeven, as reported by Reuters, which comes after he introduced in 2021 he deliberate to take the enterprise public as soon as its money movement was predictable.

When will Starlink’s direct-to-cell be accessible?

The Washington-based firm has set out a timeline for when it expects every characteristic to be practical following the launch of its new satellites.

It expects texting capabilities to be working this yr, whereas voice, information, and roaming are due in 2025.

Featured Picture: SpaceX, via X

James Jones

James Jones is an skilled journalist, editor and content material creator, with over a decade of expertise writing information and options for a wide range of on-line publications.