SpaceX announced that it has sent and received the first text message via T-Mobile using the D2D (direct-to-device) Starlink satellite launched a week ago. The project, first announced in August 2022, aims to provide satellite internet connectivity to ordinary cell phones so that T-Mobile customers can stay online even when they are in a terrestrial dead zone.
T-Mobile said it aims to publicly launch text services with T-Mobile in 2024, and launch voice, data and IoT (Internet of Things) plans in 2025. Globally, SpaceX has partnered with Rogers in Canada, Optus in Australia, and KDDI in Australia. Japan etc.
The program calls for larger, specialized versions of Starlink satellites with D2D capabilities. SpaceX launched the first six on January 2, successfully completing early testing. "On Monday, January 8, less than 6 days after launch, we sent and received the first text message to the new satellite in space using unmodified mobile phones on the ground using TMobile network spectrum… [indicating that] The system is operating normally," SpaceX wrote in a blog post.
When the plan was announced, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said the technology would be like putting a cell tower in the sky. He added that one day it could eliminate blind spots and allow people to easily connect with loved ones even in the middle of the ocean.
SpaceX says the system uses LTE/4G (rather than the 5G protocol) but is more complex than cell phone towers in the sky. Because satellites move at tens of thousands of miles per hour relative to Earth, data must flow seamlessly between them. Doppler shift, timing delays, and the relatively low transmit power of smartphones must also be considered.
The two companies are not the first to test such systems. AT&T partnered with communications specialist AST SpaceMobile to successfully conduct the first two-way satellite audio call on its network in April, using a Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone to call a number in Japan. AT&T also complained to the FCC about SpaceX and T-Mobile’s plans "Seriously inadequate" Regarding the risk of harmful interference in terrestrial networks.
This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/spacex-and-t-mobile-send-the-first-text-messages-from-orbiting-starlink-satellites-103526219.html?src=rss
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