SpaceX completed its first Starlink direct cell satellite constellation this week. On Wednesday, the company launched 20 satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket, 13 of which can communicate directly with mobile phones without additional equipment.
The completed constellation follows the FCC’s approval last week of a deal between SpaceX and T-Mobile. The two companies announced a partnership in 2022, touting plans for a future where mobile phones can connect to the world even in the middle of the ocean. SpaceX says the satellite constellation will “act like cell phone towers in space, enabling network integration similar to standard roaming partners.”
On Thursday, SpaceX posted on . The company sent and received its first text messages over T-Mobile’s network earlier this year.
The low-Earth orbit constellation has 6,799 operational satellites, about 330 of which can communicate directly with mobile phones, Space.com reports. On Thursday, Elon Musk said that unmodified phones will enjoy about 10Mbps of bandwidth per beam. He said future constellations could achieve even greater throughput.
The companies will likely provide more details to consumers once Starlink Direct to Cell becomes available. At the moment, we are aiming for next year. However, this constellation isn’t just locked to T-Mobile. SpaceX senior director Ben Longmier said shortly after deployment that the satellite was “open for business to any carrier in the world,” Android Central reported.
