Starlink launched his plan for bring satellite Internet to mobile phones. Early this Wednesday morning, SpaceX launched 21 new satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, including the first 6 that will enable technology-enabled smartphone connectivity. Direct to cell phone.
This first batch of satellite equipment will be part of initial testing that will be conducted in the United States in conjunction with the T-Mobile network. However, the goal of Elon Musk’s company is to distribute the service throughout the world as quickly as possible. That is why agreements have already been announced with other international mobile operators.
At the end of November last year, Starlink sought permission from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to begin a 180-day trial period. The company’s intention was to use the 840 satellites in the Starlink constellation to provide Internet access to approximately 2,000 mobile phones. Of the total number of devices in orbit, about 60 will provide constant connectivity to the devices in question.
Starlink intended to begin testing on December 10th. but FCC permission It arrived only on the 14th of the same month.. This delayed the launch of the first satellites integrated with Direct to Cell technology, which were only now able to be sent into low Earth orbit using SpaceX Falcon 9.
Starlink Takes First Step to Bring Satellite Internet to Mobile Phones
Both SpaceX and Elon Musk took the opportunity to celebrate the launch of a plan to bring satellite internet to every smartphone on the planet. “The six Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capability on this mission will enhance global communications and help eliminate dead spots,” the aerospace company said. on X (Twitter).
The tycoon, for his part, spoke in more detail about the initial use of this technology. And although he specified that data transfer speed will be lowclaims that this will be very useful in areas where there is usually no coverage.
“This will allow you to connect to a mobile phone anywhere on Earth. note that [Direct to Cell] only supports about 7MB per broadcast [de datos] and the emissions are very high, so while it is a great solution for areas without cellular coverage, it cannot compete with existing terrestrial cellular networks.” businessman explained.
Starlink’s plan to bring satellite Internet to mobile phones is very ambitious. Once the testing period ends in the United States, Elon Musk’s firm intends to expand this feature to other countries. The idea is that starting this year it can be used to send and receive text messages.. However, the goal is to expand voice and data capabilities and connect IoT devices. If all goes well, this will happen from 2025.
How Direct to Cell works
Satellites with direct communication capabilities were developed by SpaceX and enable modern eNodeB modem. According to Starlink, this allows them to function as a cell tower directly from space. This means that any modern smartphone with access to LTE networks can connect directly to satellite Internet without requiring software or hardware modifications.
Likewise, the Starlink constellation of satellites can connect to ground stations and Connect your satellite Internet with the networks of associated operators. This will allow users to stay connected via text, calls and data, even if they are in an area where their provider does not provide coverage.
In addition to T-Mobile in the US, Starlink already works with six others telecommunications companies International. We are talking about Rogers (Canada), Salt (Switzerland), Entel (Chile), KDDI (Japan), Optus (Australia) and OneNZ (New Zealand). Mobile companies using Direct to Cell will have “mutual global access across all partner countries,” Elon Musk explained.
Source: Hiper Textual
I am Garth Carter and I work at Gadget Onus. I have specialized in writing for the Hot News section, focusing on topics that are trending and highly relevant to readers. My passion is to present news stories accurately, in an engaging manner that captures the attention of my audience.