SpaceX to Serve T-Mobile Phones With Second-Gen Starlink Satellites

SpaceX plans on using its second-generation Starlink satellites to bring connectivity to T-Mobile smartphones on the ground, according to an application filed with the FCC. 

The company is requesting FCC permission to equip 2,016 second-generation Starlink satellites with a “direct-to-cellular system” capable of beaming data to off-the-shelf T-Mobile phones. 

“The service will be able to provide voice, messaging, and basic web browsing at theoretical peak speeds of up to either 3.0Mbps or 7.2Mbps peak upload … and up to either 4.4Mbps or 18.3Mbps on the downlink,” SpaceX wrote(Opens in a new window) in the application, which was submitted on Tuesday.

In August, SpaceX announced a partnership with T-Mobile to use SpaceX’s low-Earth orbiting satellites to serve the carrier’s customers on the ground. The goal is to tap the Starlink network to bolster T-Mobile’s coverage across the US, especially for rural and remote areas with little to no cell signal. 

“Operating essentially as cellular base stations in space, direct-to-cellular payloads will give T-Mobile a means of reaching mobile devices provisioned for its own and partner networks when terrestrial base stations are out of reach or unavailable,’ SpaceX told the FCC in a separate document(Opens in a new window). 

Tuesday’s application reiterates that SpaceX plans on using the 1910-1915MHz and 1990-1995MHz LTE bands that T-Mobile has already licensed to beam the communication data to the carrier’s cell phones. As a result, consumers will be able to use existing and unmodified T-Mobile LTE smartphones to connect to the Starlink satellites, the company says. 

(Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)

To serve T-Mobile users, SpaceX also notes it’s merely augmenting the company’s second-generation Starlink network, which the FCC gave conditional approval to last week. “Importantly, the direct-to-cellular system will not consume any new orbital resources and has been designed with affordability in mind,” the company says. SpaceX is aiming for global coverage through the augmented satellites by mid-2024. 

The resulting system is poised to rival Apple’s new Emergency SOS feature for the iPhone 14, which also leverages orbiting satellites. In the application, SpaceX wrote: “For all consumers, the service will provide peace-of-mind in situations where real-time communications are critical, even lifesaving. Hikers experiencing an emergency in a remote area would be able to call or text for help using the service.”

In addition, the same network could also serve commercial and government users through Swarm, a startup SpaceX acquired last year to bring satellite connectivity to IoT devices. 

“Connectivity solutions that combine T-Mobile-provisioned devices with Swarm IoT products would cover a broad range of data rates throughout the United States,” the application says. “US companies in the maritime, aviation, trucking, energy, and mining industries will also benefit from this new and compelling alternative, as will US government customers that depend on global satellite connectivity.”

Outside of the T-Mobile partnership, SpaceX has also requested FCC permission to use the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands for an upcoming Starlink service for mobile users.