Starlink satellite internet service, one of Elon Musk’s important projects, continues to grow step by step. As part of the cooperation with T-Mobile, it is now possible to use Starlink internet by smartphones and Tesla cars.
An extremely important partnership announcement was made at the event jointly organized by T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and Elon Musk. Thanks to the partnership, T-Mobile reported that they got rid of mobile dead zones completely, while the Coverage Above and Beyond service was announced. Thanks to the service, the vast majority of smartphones on the T-Mobile network will be able to connect to Starlink satellites.
Connection speed limited
But don’t get too excited because, according to what has been announced, the satellite-to-cellular internet service that covers these dead zones will not offer high-speed internet. According to a statement from T-Mobile, the service will be used in “specific areas” in large regions such as the USA, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters.
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The service, which is scheduled to launch in beta from the end of next year, will offer connection speeds of around 2 to 4 Megabits per second (per cell region). With this connection, it is possible to use applications such as voice calls, SMS, MMS and WhatsApp under appropriate conditions. In fact, it is stated that video calls can be made if there are not many people using the service in the coverage area you are in.
But there is still time before Elon Musk offers satellite internet all over the world. Although the partnership with T-Mobile is a serious step forward, Starlink requires cooperation with operators in the rest of the world, as the cellular bands have already been taken by the operators. On the other hand, SpaceX also states that it is in search of various partnerships.
Starlink 2.0 satellites will be used
According to Musk, this service will be provided thanks to the second-generation Starlink satellites, which will be launched next year. The new generation Starlink satellites have huge antennas with a diameter of 5 to 6 meters to strengthen connections. In addition, these satellites are aimed to be put into orbit using SpaceX’s Starship rockets.
Tesla cars will use Starlink internet
Elon Musk also announced that this service will work on Tesla cars that are currently connected to AT&T’s LTE networks. However, Musk did not provide any details on how this will work, what level of connection speed it will offer. However, the announced 2 to 4 Mbps connection speed is not enough for all services in Tesla cars (such as live video streaming from the cameras in the vehicle).
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