T-Mobile’s (TMUS+2.86%) direct-to-cell (DTC) satellite messaging service powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink is now free for anyone in the U.S., at least for a limited time, as the company looks to draw in customers.
The companies have been collaborating for a few years now, promising in 2022 to deliver coverage “above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before” through a new network using Starlink’s satellites. In December, Starlink parent SpaceX finished launching the first shell of DTC satellites and won regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission for the service.
“We’re still in the early days — I don’t want to overhype the experience during a beta test — but we’re officially putting ‘no bars’ on notice,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said in a statement. “Dead zones, your days are numbered at the Un-carrier.”
The service is currently in its beta trial and limited to text messages, although T-Mobile hopes to have additional functionality available by the summer. Services like WhatsApp, some mapping and trail apps, and the ability to send photos could be ready when the beta testing ends in July, T-Mobile’s head of marketing told The Washington Post.
After that point, T-Mobile users will have to pay $15 per month for the Starlink service, although that fee will drop to $10 per month if they participate in the beta test during February. Customers paying for the company’s pricey Go5G Next plan will get the service for free. Verizon (VZ+0.29%) and AT&T (T+0.88%) customers will have to pay $20 per month per line.
T-Mobile said on its website that it accepts users on a rolling, “first-come, first-served basis,” noting that there are limited spots available. The company says that Apple’s (AAPL+1.23%) iPhone 14 and later models, Google’s (GOOGL+1.46%) Pixel 9, REVVL’s 7, and a slew of Samsung Galaxy phones are compatible with the service, but they need to be fully updated. Motorola’s (LNVGY-0.02%) 2024 and newer models are also compatible.
SpaceX has a number of partners in other nations, such as KDDI in Japan and Telstra in Australia, and worked with AST SpaceMobile (ASTS+16.64%) to launch nationwide coverage in New Zealand in late December. In October, Kyivstar said it would work with Starlink to provide “uninterrupted” service in Ukraine.
Verizon and AT&T are also working with AST SpaceMobile to launch rival services. On Jan. 30, AST SpaceMobile said the FCC had approved it to begin testing its service.
The post T-Mobile will let anyone send messages using Starlink for free — even Verizon and AT&T customers appeared first on Quartz.
