SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites to Support Service to T-Mobile Cellphones

T-Mobile’s planned satellite-to-cellphone service came a step closer now that SpaceX Starlink has begun launching satellites that will support the service. Field testing is expected to begin soon. When available, the service will enable T-Mobile customers to have cellphone connectivity in areas where traditional service is not available, and may never be, because of land use restrictions or difficult terrain. T-Mobile and SpaceX announced plans for the satellite-to-cellphone service in August of 2022. Implementing those plans is taking longer than expected, as the companies said at that time that they expected to begin supporting initial communications, supporting text only, in 2023. A launch date for the service has not yet been set. According to a press release from SpaceX and T-Mobile, the service will support voice and data coverage in “the coming years.”