Starlink’s Direct To Cell service will start with texting next year, voice and data in 2025


Remember last year when SpaceX and T-Mobile announced that they are working on a way to beam data directly to your phone from space satellites? That service will launch next year, but it will have a gradual rollout of capabilities.

This means that in 2024 only texting will be supported as a sort of trial run to iron out all the kinks. Then in 2025 the company plans to start offering voice and data service, plus IoT functions.

Note that the connection will be done over LTE and it’s not clear how much bandwidth will be available. The data service will be fast enough for web browsing, says SpaceX. Even basic texting will be indispensable for emergencies – Apple jumped through a lot of hoops to get that working (Qualcomm is working on a solution for Android).

Unlike Apple’s solution, however, Starlink’s Direct To Cell service will not require any special hardware – new satellites will essentially work like cell towers (except ones that fly around in space rather than being mounted on a nearby building). This should mean that with a clear view of the sky any 4G capable phone (and other kinds of devices) will be able to connect. It will start with using whichever app you currently use for texts, but once the data service is active you will be able to use any app (WhatsApp, Skype and even iMessage).

Starlink's Direct To Cell service will start with texting next year, voice and data in 2025

Starlink has signed deals with multiple carriers around the world: Optus in Australia, Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, One NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland and T-Mobile in the USA. More will probably join by the time the service is fully up and running.

Note that Starlink only aims to cover land, lakes and coastal waters – if you want Internet in the middle of the ocean, you will need to sign up for Starlink’s maritime service. On land this will fill in gaps in the carriers’ coverage without them having to build out more infrastructure.

Starlink's Direct To Cell service will start with texting next year, voice and data in 2025

Also, it’s not clear if roaming will be available and to what extent since each country keeps a tight control on wireless frequencies, which is also why SpaceX is partnering with carriers (they paid a lot of money for a slice of the wireless spectrum).

Source



Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Slender Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 design shown off in official images

While the Honor Magic V5 is getting most of the attention, next week’s event will feature several other new devices. Honor already shared official images of the MagicPad 3, now let’s have a peek at the Honor MagicBook Art 14. Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 More specifically, the Honor MagicBook

iOS 26 Beta 2 tones down the Liquid Glass effect

Apple has released its second iOS 26 beta to developers, and the latest update tackles several user complaints associated with the new Liquid Glass design. There’s a more pronounced blur option for Control Center, which regulates the new Liquid Glass effect. The background uses a darker shade and adds more blur to help with legibility.

Tecno Spark Go 2 brings updated design and affordable pricing

Tecno’s latest entry-level device is here with the Spark Go 2. As its name implies, this is the successor to last year’s Spark Go 1 and most of the key specs are identical between the two. Tecno Spark Go 2 in Ink Black and Titanium Grey Spark Go 2 does get an

Poco F7 price leaks ahead of today’s announcement

The Poco F7 is almost here – the big announcement is scheduled for later today. That said, Poco took a slightly weird approach with this launch and it sent us review units to unbox early – here is the Silver version and the Black version. Poco F7 in Silver and

vivo T4 Lite arrives with Dimensity 6300 SoC and 6,000 mAh battery

As promised, vivo has unveiled the T4 Lite as the latest member of the T4 series, which includes the T4, T4x, and T4 Ultra. vivo T4 5G The vivo T4 Lite has the Dimensity 6300 SoC under the hood, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage, which is expandable up to 2TB

Samsung announces the date of Galaxy Unpacked event for its new foldables

Last week, leakster Evan Blass said that Samsung would host its Galaxy Unpacked event for the unveiling of new foldables on July 9. Well, Blass’ claim has turned out to be true, as Samsung has confirmed the July 9 date for the Galaxy Unpacked event. The event will be hosted in Brooklyn, New York, and

T-Satellite with Starlink is launching next month — what you need to know about T-Mobile’s satellite-to-mobile service

Starting next month, it should be easier than ever to stay connected on T-Mobile’s wireless network, as the carrier has just announced plans to launch its satellite-to-mobile service starting July 23. T-Satellite launches initially with support for text messaging, with plans to offer data connectivity over satellite in October. The T-Satellite service is the result

No one expected T-Mobile to dare so much: competitors should take note

T-Mobile has established itself as one of the major players in the mobile phone market in the United States. Its network is one of the most extensive and reliable in the country, and this has attracted not only millions of users. It has also drawn other companies interested in offering telecommunications services over its infrastructure.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 prices leak ahead of launch

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and the Z Flip7 are reportedly just around the corner, so retailers are getting ready for the market release and putting up some preliminary listings. However, in order to prevent leaks, Samsung has started using codenames for its devices. Listings from an Italian retailer Unfortunately

Nothing Headphones (1) now leak on video too

Nothing will release its first-ever over-ear headphones alongside the upcoming Nothing Phone (3) – that’s happening on July 1 (Tuesday). The company has created a suitably kooky design, which leaked a few days ago. Now, an even bigger leak has hit the web. This video is based on unconfirmed info, but offers potential answers to

Check out these detailed renders of the Galaxy Watch8 series

We can now be almost entirely sure what the Galaxy Watch8 series will look like, thanks to this latest batch of press renders, courtesy of Evan Blass. The renders show the Galaxy Watch8 in Black, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic in White, and the Galaxy Watch8 Ultra 2 in Blue. The big thing this year is

Galaxy Z Flip7 and Flip7 FE leak again, new renders offer best look yet

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 and Flip7 FE are expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold7 at Samsung Unpacked on July 9 and Evan Blass shared a new set of renders for the two flip foldables, giving us our best look yet. Galaxy Z Flip7 is shown in Jet Black, Blue Shadow and Coral

Spigen confirms the iPhone 17 will have a 6.3-inch display

Spigen’s store on Amazon India may have inadvertently confirmed the rumors that the upcoming iPhone 17 will get a bigger 6.3-inch display. The store listed Spigen’s popular EZ Fit Tempered Glass Screen Protector Guard as compatible with the iPhone 16 Pro, which has a 6.3-inch screen, the iPhone 17, and the iPhone 17 Pro. If

Honor Magic V5 hands-on photos surface along with key specs

Honor built the first sub-10mm foldable back in 2023, the Magic V2. Now the company is ready to dip below 9mm – it already showed off the design of the Honor Magic V5 and confirmed that it will measure 8.8mm thick when closed. Will it become the thinnest horizontal foldable when it is unveiled on

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x