It actually worked for my 13 Mini at some remote state parks in central PA. Blew my mind. Sometimes it took a few minutes for a message to go through and other times it was nearly instantaneous.
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T-Mobile's Starlink Satellite Service Officially Launches With iPhone Support
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I did get some blue bubbles using it. I think there’s an OS-level integration to send iMessages via the service but no other internet data. Special treatment for Apple services, if you can believe that. 😉
In what way? Cell towers allow you to use data on your phone...very fast data. If you read the article, you'd have read that satellite is only for iMessage and SMS texts. How does Satellite replace a cell tower?
The purpose is getting more people to use and pay for Elon's tech. I won't be signing up for this.
the compensation is done on the receiver side with extremely high antenna gain.
it uses different bands - mmWave, Ku-band and Ka-band so between 12ghz-18ghz and 27-45GHz (albeit this later one is used for backhaul only) and different modulation scheme and a lot higher antenna gain and transmit signal level. it also has a large, active phased array antenna that draws a fair amount of power and is about 15 times larger than a regular smartphone.
your average smartphone cannot put out the same amount of power over its tiny radio. also, the 5G mmWave antenna (that operates just below the Ka-band) patch on the US iPhones is about 5x5mm, whereas the starlink cat-heater has about 5000(!) times larger area.
now the bandwidth starlink uses is also significantly larger compared to the lower cell bands.
the DTC option on the new starlink satellites operates in the sub 2GHz frequencies, and the phone can only make use of 20MHz of spectrum in that range - the starlink receivers operate in a 2000MHz wide channel in the Ku band. so even if they fail to achieve the same spectral efficiency as say LTE, they have 100x as much spectrum available.
the starlink antenna is very directional too compared to the omni antenna you have for the mid and lower cellular bands. all these factors will contribute to a better reception and higher signal-to-noise ratio, so it can use higher modulation and achieve higher throughput.
When Elon sells the company, I’ll consider it.
I don't have anything to do with Elon. Why that's not a problem for people, I've no idea.
The "T-Satellite" Starlink satellite service that T-Mobile has been testing for the last several months is now out of beta, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced today.
Satellite-based connectivity is available for T-Mobile subscribers, but it is also an option for Verizon and AT&T users. T-Mobile's offering uses over 650 Starlink satellites to allow users to send text messages when they are out of range of a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
T-Mobile says that its satellite services work with more than 600 smartphones, including iPhones. If you have an iPhone 14 or later, you can use T-Satellite, though these devices already have Apple's built-in satellite functionality that works with Globalstar satellites. You will need iOS 18.3 or later to sign up.
The T-Mobile satellite service is limited to texting with iMessage and SMS, and data is not supported. Apple's built-in satellite service supports sending and receiving messages, sharing location via Find My, connecting with emergency services, getting satellite-based weather updates, and arranging roadside assistance via satellite. Apple does not yet charge for any of its Satellite functionality.
T-Satellite is free for Beyond 5G and Go5G customers, while T-Mobile users with other plans can get the service added to their plans for $10 per month using the Manage Add-Ons option in their accounts. AT&T and Verizon customers can get T-Satellite for $10 per month by contacting T-Mobile customer support. The $10/month pricing is a limited-time promotion, and T-Mobile intends to raise the price to $15 per month in the future.
iPhone users who sign up for T-Mobile's satellite service and connect to a Starlink satellite will see a small "SAT" icon in the status bar
Article Link: T-Mobile's Starlink Satellite Service Officially Launches With iPhone Support
Deleted comment. Others refuted this with with more information. I'll add that many satellites in space have some downsides. Other than being ugly, cell phone towers probably don't have negative unintended consequences. Except for those whose brains are being fried by 5G
. Or did all those people die off, because we don't hear about that anymore.
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The satellites used for the FREE Apple service sit at a higher orbit so less are needed. I have used this service around the world and never not been able to quickly connect. Also, it doesn't matter about "plans" since the service is free to everyone with an iPhone and has nothing to do with cellular service or which company or plan you are on.
Had the beta and it was... useless. I'd get an alert I was out of cell coverage and now on Starlink but I could never send or receive text messages. Tried sending and it would stall and just send when I was back in cell coverage. Wouldn't pay $1 a month for this -- it's that broken.
I also have Verizon Wireless as my primary eSIM. I signed up for the beta soon as I heard about it after the Super Bowl commercials and got accepted a few months ago. Setting up the eSIM was simple.
I haven’t been able to test out the T-Mobile satellite service yet - usually go on hiking events once a quarter…
However, I’ve found T-Mobile 5G cellular service extremely handy in North Eastern San Jose because Verizon just has no reception there… so, been using that a lot lol.
I’ve used Apple’s Satellite service a few times - extremely slow, lots of failed attempts to send messages, but could have been because I was in between two mountains.
For $10/mo this is extremely useful to me as a backup cell service.
Interestingly enough, the first month it said I had 50GB of 5G data on T-Mobile. The next month, unlimited. This month is saying the same. <shrug>. For $10/mo that’s crazy (haven’t been charged yet, was told I’d get 90 days free).
I’m going to doubt it. It looks like they’re only adding it to their expensive T-Mobile plans. As a previous Mint Mobile user (for years) - that would be awesome, lol.
That said, if I really only have to pay $10/mo for this, and it is currently showing unlimited 5G, I’m pretty happy with this right now lol.
T-Satellite are making specific exception in here. This is the same way WLAN works on planes, they do configure firewall to specifically recognize and allow certain messaging protocols.
On Android, T-mobile sat even allow sending picture and voice recordings. Looks like they are working to allow the same on iOS.
Yeah I have a 13 mini so I beta tested this and it worked fine one day I went camping and didn’t have service.
But that’s not a regular occurrence for me so paying $10/mo for it is not going to happen.
Charge me $1 a message. Sure. But monthly is weird.
You guys getting a full T-Mobile cellular service like I am?
I have a number which can text/call and according to my T-Mobile plan - unlimited 5G. That’s pretty crazy for $10/mo. Maybe it’s just me.