T-Mobile will be the first wireless company in the United States to offer a satellite-to-phone service. The service, called T-Satellite, will launch on July 23.
At first, users will be able to send and receive text messages. In October, T-Mobile will add data support for popular apps like WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter).
T-Mobile built this service using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. If a phone loses signal from cell towers, it will automatically connect to more than 650 satellites in space.
About 75% of T-Mobile’s phones can use this feature, including most smartphones made in the last four years. Android phones will be supported first, and iPhones will be supported later.
Customers on T-Mobile’s $100 per month “Experience Beyond” plan will get the satellite service for free. Other T-Mobile users can add the service for $10 per month. People with other carriers, like AT&T or Verizon, can also pay $10 monthly to use it.
Since January, 1.8 million people have tested the service. The beta test is free and will stay free until the full launch in July.
The service will cover over 500,000 square miles where regular cell service is not available. This includes remote and rural areas, where people often lose signal.
This launch puts T-Mobile ahead of AT&T and Verizon, who are still working on their own satellite phone plans with a different company, AST SpaceMobile.
