Musk seeks to do away with cell phone dead spaces
SpaceX and T-Mobile are joining forces to eliminate cellphone dead zones, the companies announced on Thursday.
Using Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, the telecommunications company says it will be able to provide service in the half-million square miles currently unreached by cell signals in the United States.
“From the middle of Death Valley to the Great Smoky Mountains or even that persistent neighborhood dead zone, T-Mobile and SpaceX have a vision to give customers a crucial additional layer of connectivity in areas previously unreachable by cell signals from any provider,” a press release explained. “And the service aims to work with the phone already in your pocket. The vast majority of smartphones already on T-Mobile’s network will be compatible with the new service using the device’s existing radio. No extra equipment to buy. It just works.”
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced the partnership at an event on Starbase, the Texas facility from which SpaceX tests and launches its Starship rocket.
“The important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone,” Musk said. The billionaire added on social media that the second-generation satellites supporting the network will launch next year and confirmed that Tesla vehicles will be able to use the service.
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This should help those who live in rural areas not serviced by cell towers. I would think other cell phone providers would want to become part of the Starlink system.
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