Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has successfully deployed an initial set of satellites aimed at providing global connectivity to mobile phone users.
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unload! pic.twitter.com/djbETJCPTk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 3, 2024
The company recently launched six of its 21 new Starlink satellites with “Direct to Cell” capabilities that will be introduced in 2022.
In a statement published in X, the company said these satellites will play a key role in enhancing global connectivity and eliminating areas with poor network coverage.
SpaceX plans to use these satellites to conduct tests with regular 4G LTE-enabled phones at T-Mobile in the US, and then expand its text messaging service to various countries later this year.
6 people @starlink Satellites participating in this mission with Direct to Cell capabilities will enhance global connectivity and help eliminate dead zones → pic.twitter.com/zFy7SrpsYs
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 3, 2024
In 2025, as additional direct-to-consumer satellites become operational, SpaceX plans to incorporate voice and data services along with IoT devices. Elon Musk said the development will enable mobile phone connectivity around the world.
Elon Musk revealed that this solution can only accommodate 7 MM per beam, and the beams are quite large. Therefore, it serves as a good option for areas lacking mobile phone connectivity, but does not pose a significant competition to already established terrestrial mobile phone networks.
Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capability provide widespread access to send text messages, make calls, and browse, regardless of location on land, lakes, or coastal waters. Additionally, as the company states, Direct to Cell technology allows IoT devices to connect to standard LTE networks.
First launch of Starlink Direct-to-Phone satellite
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2024
Meanwhile, Amazon’s upcoming satellite broadband network, known as “Project Kuiper,” has successfully completed critical tests, paving the way for its planned launch in the coming months.
Project Kuiper, similar to SpaceX’s Starlink, aims to deploy 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and interconnect them to provide high-speed internet access. In October, the company launched two prototype satellites and began testing critical systems needed for the network to function. Among the key tests conducted was the validation of the Optical Intersatellite Link (OISL) technology, which uses infrared lasers to transmit data between spacecraft.
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