SpaceX teams up with T-Mobile to beam Starlink satellite internet directly to smartphones

Elon Musk is now aiming to provide direct access to Starlink’s satellite internet to the smartphones of its users starting next year. For this ambitious plan, Musk has teamed up with telecom company T-Mobile under the project called ‘Coverage Above and Beyond’ to eliminate ‘dead zones’ across the globe.

The announcement was made during an event at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on August 26, where both Musk and T-Mobile President and CEO Mike Sievert briefed about how the new idea would work. 

How would the idea work?

Musk explained that SpaceX will have to launch heavier Starlink satellites so that the transmission is strong enough to establish a connection with the smartphones. Currently, the company’s satellite internet is received using terminals that receive the broadband signals and relay them to devices. 

(Mike Sievert (left) with Elon Musk (right); Image: SpaceX)

For the newly announced project, SpaceX would introduce Starlink Version 2 which would have seven-metre-long satellites and antennas measuring 25 square metres. So far, the company has 2,800 active satellites that are providing internet services in over 30 countries. And since these satellites will get too heavy for the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX might loft the satellites using the heavier Starship rocket or develop a "V2 mini" Starlink satellite to fit into a Falcon 9.

In his tweet, Musk revealed that initially, the connectivity will be 2 to 4 megabits and will be limited to texting and voice calls. This would enable users to stay connected even in the most remote areas will little to no connectivity. "Starlink V2, launching next year, will transmit direct to mobile phones, eliminating dead zones worldwide", Musk tweeted.

"Despite powerful LTE and 5G terrestrial wireless networks, more than 20% of the United States land area and 90% of the Earth remain uncovered by wireless companies", SpaceX said in its statement. "These dead zones have serious consequences for remote communities and those who travel off the grid for work or leisure". 

It added that their newly designed system requires no modifications to one's smartphones and there is no need for new firmware, software updates, or apps. During the event, Sievert said that the services will initially cover much of the United States as well as parts of the oceans.