SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, is planning to launch a new service that will allow cell phones to communicate with satellites directly. The service, called Starlink, will use a network of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide LTE connectivity to areas where terrestrial networks are not available.
The Starlink service will start with SMS texting in 2024, and then expand to voice and data service in 2025. The service will also support IoT devices, such as sensors and trackers. SpaceX claims that the service will not require any special phones or accessories, as the satellites will beam LTE signals that any standard cell phone can receive.
However, the service may have some limitations, such as low bandwidth and high latency. Musk has previously said that Starlink could provide 2-4 Mbps of total bandwidth in each cell zone, which is about 15 square miles. That means that the speed and quality of the service may vary depending on the number of users and the distance from the satellite. The service may also not support real-time applications, such as video calls or gaming.
SpaceX has partnered with several cellular carriers around the world to enable the Starlink service, including T-Mobile in the US and KDDI in Japan. The company will have to launch new satellites with LTE antennas to enable the promised features. It will begin that process with the Falcon 9 rocket, moving to Starship whenever the company’s mega-rocket is ready for commercial operation. SpaceX is still testing that vehicle, which has thus far failed to reach orbit.