T‑Mobile Opens Registration for Direct‑to‑Cell Satellite Service Beta Test with Starlink

[comfortably_numb]

I enrolled today using my T-Mobile $10/mo prepaid plan.

Coming on the heels of FCC approval, T-Mobile has opened registration for a beta program for T-Mobile Starlink, a direct-to-cell satellite service that will help eliminate dead zones by providing coverage for the 500,000 square miles of land in the United States not covered by earth-bound cell towers

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/t-mobile-starlink-direct-to-cell-beta-registration

 

[EarDemon]

I registered as soon as I saw this on Dec 19th.

I was following this over the Summer and it appeared that this was dead. The power required for this would cause interference band 2, which is used by all three carriers. The gist of it was T-Mobile and SpaceX couldn't get the service to work properly at the power levels everyone agreed on, so they jacked the power up breaking the agreement and potentially causing interference for VZW and AT&T. Obviously something must have changed because it appears that the FCC ruled in their favor.

FCC deals a blow to T-Mobile and SpaceX's satellite ambitions but there's still hope

Verizon and AT&T can technically move forward with their plans to launch a satellite service but T-Mobile might not be able to.

www.phonearena.com

I've read conflicting things on this whether it will be for emergency use only or not. And after the beta period it will be an extra change.

Not related to what T-Mobile is doing with Starlink, all Pixel 9 series phones have satellite modems that will connect to Skylo satellites that can be used for emergency purposes only. I see the satellite icon a lot, but not 100% of the time when I have no service.