Ben Longmier, senior director of satellite engineering at SpaceX, offered two new reasons for this T-Mobile customers are enthusiastic.
SpaceX and T-Mobile have joined forces to bring text messaging via satellite to the latter’s customers. A prerequisite for satellite communication is that you are in the open air. For example, Apple instructs its users to have a direct view of the sky to establish a satellite connection. However, SpaceX’s service may not have such a limitation.
Elon Musk implies there will be no dead zones after the launch of SpaceX’s direct-to-service. | Image credits – Elon Musk, X
When Elon Musk, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX, posted that smartphones will work everywhere, he really meant it. Longmier says he usually tests the direct-to-cell service when he is indoors or at his dining room table, which is near a window.
T-Mobile and SpaceX’s direct-to-cell service could be more exciting than expected. | Image credits – Ben Longmier, X
Although the service has not yet officially launched, SpaceX and T-Mobile were received special temporary authorization from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this month to deploy it in hurricane-affected areas.
Longmier says SpaceX was able to roll out emergency SMS for areas affected by Hurricane Milton within 24 hours and that in the future, response time will be reduced to just a few tens of minutes for any area from 58 degrees north latitude to 58 degrees south latitude. . This will cover most of the populated places on Earth and ensure that people are not cut off from the rest of the world when an unforeseen or unfortunate event destroys communications infrastructure. T-Mobile‘s CEO Mike Sievert has previously said that the The service isn’t expected to launch until early next year, but Longmier is still teasing a late 2024 launch. Initially, it will only carry text messages, but a data service will be added sometime next year, with voice coming later.
According to Longmier, there will be minimal delays in sending messages. An analysis conducted by independent consultant Carlos Placido painted a different picture: revealing messages took about 15 minutes or more to travel in the areas affected by Helene and Milton. It is possible that the service has improved since then.
I think in the future we can reduce that to tens of minutes of response time for every area on Earth from 58 degrees north latitude to 58 degrees south latitude.
We think the key to this service is to provide near-continuous coverage for entire countries, for all telecom companies that want to participate. We’ll start texting later this year, nearly continuous light data in 2025, and continuous broadband data and voice later.
This service is unique because messages are delivered almost immediately and entire countries are covered. Other services last more than 60 seconds, require pointing a phone, or are simply spot beams in small locations with hour-long coverage breaks.
Ben Longmier, senior director of satellite engineering at SpaceX, October 2024
The company has urged the FCC to reject “AST’s coordinated campaign to stifle competition” so it can launch its service and eliminate dead zones.
