SpaceX and T-Mobile plan to bring wireless phone service to remote areas

SpaceX and T-Mobile are partnering to bring wireless phone service to remote areas with spotty coverage. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced the collaboration August 25, claiming the service will roll out in 2023 and work with existing phones. They're planning to provide text coverage "practically everywhere" in the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters, according to T-Mobile. The companies will create a new network broadcast from Starlink’s satellites using T-Mobile bandwidth. It'll start with messaging, MMS and messaging apps and eventually expand to include data and voice, Sievert said. "This partnership has a vision that is the end of mobile dead zones," Sievert said. It's about "imagining a future where if you have a clear view of the sky, you are connected on your mobile phone." The two CEOs issued an open invitation to the world’s carriers "to collaborate for truly global connectivity."