SpaceX is teaming up with mobile provider T-Mobile to use the private space company’s satellite networks to expand its network without adding cell towers.
The phone network announced “Coverage Above and Beyond” Thursday evening at a public event. The new plan will exist alongside T-Mobile’s current plans and use SpaceX’s Starlink network to serve those in remote areas where cell service is unavailable.
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“We’ve always thought differently about what it means to keep customers connected, and that’s why we’re working with the best to deliver coverage above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, in a press release.
“The important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone,” said SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk. “We’re incredibly excited to do this with T-Mobile.”
The satellites will use T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum, which the company acquired via its purchase of Sprint, to create the new network.
This plan will build upon a new satellite network Musk dubbed “Starlink V2” that will transmit directly to mobile devices and aim to eliminate dead zones worldwide. Connection speeds will be between 2-4 megabits per cell zone, which will allow for voice and text but not high-bandwidth connections, according to Musk.
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Sievert claimed that the company’s “vision” will be for this satellite-based bandwidth to be included for free in the carrier’s “most popular plans” upon launch. The two CEOs did not announce a date for when the new Starlink-based network would be available to the public.
The SpaceX announcement arrived days after the Federal Communications Commission rejected Starlink’s bid to receive rural internet subsidies due to the service’s expensive hardware costs.
