For the first time, SpaceX satellites are beaming data to consumer smartphones, including select Samsung Galaxy handsets and iPhones with iOS 18.3.
Paul Byrd, a Galaxy S24+ owner, tells PCMag that he used the satellite service while deer hunting in a cellular dead zone. “It works as advertised,” he says.
The cellular Starlink service relayed text messages to his phone while he was in an Alabama forest with plenty of overhead tree cover. “It doesn’t seem as fast as just normal texting,” he says, “but I was able to communicate with others where I had no cellular signal otherwise.”
Ending Cellular Dead Zones
Byrd is one of the first US consumers to try SpaceX’s direct-to-cell Starlink service, which is rolling out to select T-Mobile subscribers through a free beta program. To see what the experience is like, we spoke to five customers who got early access.
(Credit: Tim Cash)
“I’ve been pretty impressed with it so far,” says Knoxville, Tennessee, resident John Antikainen, who’s been using the satellite service on his Samsung S24 Ultra.
“Biggest thing that catches my attention: There are areas where I travel frequently where I have zero connection, 4G/5G or otherwise. In those areas, I have been able to have that satellite connection to fall back on if I need it,” he says.
That’s the main selling point of the cellular Starlink service: SpaceX has launched over 400 satellites specifically designed to act as cell towers, but in space, enabling consumers on the ground to receive connectivity when traditional cell infrastructure is nowhere in view.
Satellite connectivity has been designed to activate only when ground-based cell services are unavailable. For now, the system can only power SMS text messages and location sharing, but it’ll eventually support voice calling and data downloads.
(Credit: Starlink.com)
That’s why Antikainen is bullish on the technology. “Once voice calls become available, and eventually internet connectivity, it’s going to be a game changer,” he says. “It won’t matter where you are in the world. You will have access to the outside world.”
An Inconsistent Signal
According to beta testers, signal quality with cellular Starlink isn’t consistent in its current form. In Antikainen’s case, his phone often loses satellite connectivity every few minutes. “Connection to the Starlink satellites is kind of spotty currently,” he says. “It does drop signal quite often. You do get a notification when you are connected, though.”
Still, “with a fairly strong signal, it seemed pretty seamless,” Antikainen adds. “I was sending texts back and forth to a coworker, and I was getting read receipts within seconds.”
Ohio-based Nicholas Kiefer published a video demonstrating how the cellular Starlink service works on his iPhone following the iOS 18.3 update.
At a park about 30 miles outside Cincinnati, Kiefer connected to the satellite while holding his handset normally as he sat in his car; no need to hold the phone up to the sky. But as his video illustrates, steady signals were hard to come by. “When it did actually connect well, messages sent and received [came] nearly instantly, which was super impressive. But most of the time, I struggled to even get one out,” he says.
For example, the video shows his iPhone, with one signal bar, struggling to send an SMS message. When the signal quality reaches a firm two bars, the SMS message goes through about five minutes after it was initially sent.
“Overall I’d say I was still pretty impressed because this is the worst this service will be,” Kiefer says. “It’s only going to get better as more satellites with B25 [LTE spectrum] are added, so I’m very excited to see where it will go.”
Another beta tester named “Ian I” was more critical of the service. He, too, experienced frequent signal drops while using the satellite connectivity from Alabama on his S24 Ultra. “The service is very inconsistent and unstable at this point,” he says. Although he described the cellular Starlink service as “promising,” the beta experience so far has been “very underwhelming.”
“It is certainly not something I would rely on for emergencies at this point,” he adds. Another issue is that the satellite connectivity through Starlink appears to eat up battery life.
Ian I also owns an iPhone 16 Pro, which gives him access to Apple’s satellite messaging features through Globalstar. “While both services require you to have a clear view of the sky, Apple’s satellite service does not experience as many interruptions in connectivity,” Ian says.
(Credit: Tim Cash)
The signal issues underscore a regulatory challenge facing SpaceX, which has been lobbying the US Federal Communications Commission to raise radio emission limits for cellular Starlink satellites. If SpaceX can’t receive a waiver to exceed the limits, then the satellite technology risks being restricted to “just a text service,” the company told the FCC in September.
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The problem is that AT&T, Verizon, and even European carriers are urging the FCC to keep the radio emission limits in place, citing the threat of the cellular Starlink service interfering with their networks. It’s unclear when the commission, now under new leadership, will rule on the matter.
Managing Expectations
In the meantime, Tim Cash, another beta tester in Sante Fe, New Mexico, says the cellular Starlink service seems to work best when his phone has no cellular connection whatsoever rather than on the fringes. “I hiked and drove through several dead zones this week, and it wasn’t available reliably until zero cell service, which is as advertised, but could be frustrating if the boundary of the dead zone is unknown.”
Cash also tested the service again this weekend while at his cabin in southern Colorado. “When I first got there, D2C [direct to cell] seemed to work well via a few texts to family members. By the end of the day, none of my texts sent. Seems the sat constellation is sporadic, and service is therefore unreliable at this point.”
Others, such as Paul Byrd, say the cellular Starlink service is performing as expected, given that the technology is still in the early stages. “I fully expected it to be slow and laggy,” he says. “It’s a beta test using new technology.”
T-Mobile tells PCMag it’s “very encouraged” with how cellular Starlink has performed so far.
“We’re hearing lots of positive feedback about how amazing it is for people to be connected, from consumers to first responders to remote workers in places like offshore oil platforms,” the carrier says. “As you’d also expect in any beta, we are getting useful feedback on the experience that will help us make it better in preparation for commercial availability later this year. We’re also seeing the service receive positive net promoter scores (NPS).”
Last week, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert also indicated the service should improve as more cellular Starlink satellites launch into orbit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk envisions potentially operating thousands of cellular Starlink satellites, similar to residential internet Starlink business.
In an earnings call last week, Sievert noted that T-Mobile has been focusing the beta tests “more in the northern” parts of the US, citing the better satellite density. In addition, the carrier is preparing to invite more registered users to try out the beta before beginning commercial service. Although pricing hasn’t been announced, consumers can expect the satellite connectivity to arrive as a perk for T-Mobile’s more expensive plans and through “a la carte” sales on lower tiers, likely as a paid add-on.
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
