T-Mobile Starlink deal

[audreyh1]

Interesting deal between T-Mobile and Starlink will allow T-Mobile users to access the Starlink satellites in remote areas for cell coverage https://www.reuters.com/business/me...lan-boost-cellular-coverage-space-2022-08-26/

DH heard from the announcement video included in the following article that the T-Mobile CEO says that this coverage will most likely be included for free for T-Mobile’s most popular plans and should work with many existing phones.
https://www.teslarati.com/t-mobile-spacex-starlink-partnership/

 

[Bamaman]

They want substantial $ for the Starlink package. And right now, they're not letting those with yachts to install it.

 

[audreyh1]

This has nothing to do with the marine Starlink service.

 

[tulak]

Fascinating. I would think this would be hard to pull off on a mobile device?

It’ll be interesting to read the technical details. Thanks for sharing.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, it’s pretty wild, but they are ready to go into beta testing.

This is basically for when there is not a cell tower in range. So also useful in emergency situations when cell towers are down due to damage/lack of power.

DH also thinks that you probably need a clear view of the sky - i.e. probably wouldn’t work inside a building as the signal will be weak, but better than nothing.

 

[braumeister]

Initially, it will just be in the USA and territorial waters, so mainly for very rural areas. At first it will just be for SMS and MMS texts, with voice and data support eventually.

They hope to set it up with international carriers in the future.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Yes, it’s pretty wild, but they are ready to go into beta testing.

This is basically for when there is not a cell tower in range. So also useful in emergency situations when cell towers are down due to damage/lack of power.

DH also thinks that you probably need a clear view of the sky - i.e. probably wouldn’t work inside a building as the signal will be weak, but better than nothing.

Sounds great for backpacking. Could potentially replace the current generation of satellite phones. Working much easier and faster than those. We will see. But could literally be a life saver

 

[CaptTom]

Apparently they're adding 5G cellular frequency antennae on the newest Starlink birds, which I don't think have even launched yet. This is Elon, so take the schedule with a grain of salt.

There will only be bandwidth for small data packets like SMS (text.) The best analogy is current InReach and Spot devices, which offer satellite texting. They did mention the possibility of some video, but that would be a stretch in most cases.

This will be great for anyone outdoors and remote. Hikers, RV'ers and boaters usually have a clear view of the sky. I have an InReach, and being able to text, either in an emergency or just to keep in touch, is huge.

People with Starlink "mobile" packages for RVs most certainly are using them on boats, with great success. That is not to be confused with the very expensive "marine" offering for cruise ships and the like.

 

[tgotch]

They want substantial $ for the Starlink package. And right now, they're not letting those with yachts to install it.

It's available for an astronomical price on boats:

https://www.starlink.com/maritime

Some work arounds:

 

[braumeister]

This will be great for anyone outdoors and remote. Hikers, RV'ers and boaters usually have a clear view of the sky. I have an InReach, and being able to text, either in an emergency or just to keep in touch, is huge.

For sure. I spent a couple of weeks down in the Grand Canyon earlier this year and the ability to keep in touch with my wife via my InReach was great. Even with the very limited sky view from deep in the canyon, it almost never took more than a couple of hours for a message to get through.

 

[audreyh1]

My 5G coverage with T-Mobile was fantastic with my latest long road trip (I upgraded to iPhone 13 earlier this year). From the above article I now understand that T-Mobile ended up with a hefty chunk of 5G due to the Sprint merger.

DH, who often complains about signal strength and bandwidth, is waiting on the iPhone 14. He’s still using his iPhoneX.

 

[ivinsfan]

Way back in the beginning there was some talk of Starlink offering it's on cell service with it's own company to defray the cost of Starlink. I wonder what this development means in regards to that idea?



MY SIL bundles Comcast and Xfinity cell service and saves money on both.

 

[MuirWannabe]

I have an Inreach as well. Invaluable for backcountry backpacking. But was thinking this sounded like an opportunity to replace Inreach with satellite ability with just your phone. If it’s SMS only then that is very similar to Inreach although one less device to lug around. If it’s also calling, then that’s really quite better.

 

[audreyh1]

Regardless, they’ve got to get Starship working first!

We finally made it out to Starbase in mid July. That’s probably it too, a very rough road and a long drive from Brownsville.

The first photo is the booster and the tower with the “chopsticks” which are supposed to catch the booster on return. And the starship on bottom that will be lifted on top of the booster for an orbital test flight later this year.

 

[CaptTom]

A couple of observations:

The InReach does have two advantages over a regular cell phone. It's waterproof and it has a very long battery life. Of course you can get a waterproof phone case, or even a waterproof phone, and you can get external battery packs, but I'd be reluctant to depend on a plain ole' cell phone alone for emergency communications.

Second, I've heard that there is a "Plan B" to launch the V2 birds on Falcon 9 if Starship isn't ready. Apparently it's some sort of pared-down version of the satellite, but it does still support 5G. As with everything Elon, I'm not holding my breath but I have confidence it will happen eventually.

 

[tulak]

This might be a preemptive strike by T-Mobile/SpaceX against Apple. Their next event is labelled ‘Far Out’ and the rumor is the next iPhone might have basic satellite connectivity for free.

In a series of tweets, Farrar said T-Mobile's and SpaceX's satellite connectivity announcement yesterday was likely intended to pre-empt Apple's announcement of its own satellite connectivity feature for the iPhone in partnership with Globalstar. Apple is holding a media event at Steve Jobs Theater on September 7, and the event's "Far Out" tagline and starry sky artwork have fueled speculation about a satellite connectivity announcement.

…

Farrar said Apple's service will be offered free of charge for two-way text messaging only at launch and will use existing satellite spectrum, with no rule changes from the FCC required. By comparison, T-Mobile and SpaceX plan to leverage T-Mobile's mid-band 5G spectrum and support SMS text messages, MMS, and select messaging apps, but Farrar believes this more ambitious approach will face regulatory hurdles around the world.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/08/26/apple-globalstar-iphone-14-satellite-rumor/

 

[MuirWannabe]

Regardless, they’ve got to get Starship working first!

We finally made it out to Starbase in mid July. That’s probably it too, a very rough road and a long drive from Brownsville.

The first photo is the booster and the tower with the “chopsticks” which are supposed to catch the booster on return. And the starship on bottom that will be lifted on top of the booster for an orbital test flight later this year.

Those are cool pics. Hoping for future success

 

[MuirWannabe]

A couple of observations:

The InReach does have two advantages over a regular cell phone. It's waterproof and it has a very long battery life. Of course you can get a waterproof phone case, or even a waterproof phone, and you can get external battery packs, but I'd be reluctant to depend on a plain ole' cell phone alone for emergency communications.

Second, I've heard that there is a "Plan B" to launch the V2 birds on Falcon 9 if Starship isn't ready. Apparently it's some sort of pared-down version of the satellite, but it does still support 5G. As with everything Elon, I'm not holding my breath but I have confidence it will happen eventually.

Just focusing on battery life, everything you say is true. But, having 2 devices to keep charged (phone & inreach) when backpacking means overall higher charging demands. So, combining these features into 1 device is the superior option for overall battery life.

 

[MuirWannabe]

This might be a preemptive strike by T-Mobile/SpaceX against Apple. Their next event is labelled ‘Far Out’ and the rumor is the next iPhone might have basic satellite connectivity for free.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/08/26/apple-globalstar-iphone-14-satellite-rumor/

Oh my. Let’s hope so!

 

[CaptTom]

Just focusing on battery life, everything you say is true. But, having 2 devices to keep charged (phone & inreach) when backpacking means overall higher charging demands. So, combining these features into 1 device is the superior option for overall battery life.

Agreed. For me the problem is that my cell phones seem to like to go swimming. I need a backup communications device. Charging isn't as big a problem boating as backpacking.

Another way to look at it is that a tablet with a SIM card can do double duty as both as a backup communications and navigation device. So, with satellite texting I could skip the InReach and only need one backup device instead of two.

Hikers, RV'ers, boaters... this would be a huge benefit to anyone traveling beyond cell phone range.

 

[Markola]

T-Mobile seems on the ball. We switched to them this year, because their service simply works internationally upon arrival without any of the elaborate hoo-ha required by the other companies. This satellite service will be another advance over Verizon, et al.

 

[audreyh1]

T-Mobile seems on the ball. We switched to them this year, because their service simply works internationally upon arrival without any of the elaborate hoo-ha required by the other companies. This satellite service will be another advance over Verizon, et al.

Yes, so far, the Sprint merger went very well and our great experience with the company didn’t change after the CEO change. T-Mobile is still ~65% owned (common stock) by German communications giant Deutsche Telekom AG which has always made us a little nervous because they’ve tried to sell T-Mobile in the past. So knock on wood!

 

[mpeirce]

T-Mobile seems on the ball. We switched to them this year, because their service simply works internationally upon arrival without any of the elaborate hoo-ha required by the other companies.

I’m not really sure what hoo-ha is, but ATT with their International Day pass requires zero effort to use.

You just use your phone over there and it works. They charge $10 for you using voice, data, and text for the next 24 hours.


If you are on a family plan, other people are charged $5 (if you are using it that day).

After using it 10 times in a month it’s free for the rest of your billing period, so on a longer trip it an be cheaper.

 

[braumeister]

I’m not really sure what hoo-ha is, but ATT with their International Day pass requires zero effort to use.

You just use your phone over there and it works. They charge $10 for you using voice, data, and text for the next 24 hours.

I used to be an ATT customer and generally liked it. But one of the big reasons a lot of us went over to T-Mobile is that we avoid that $10/day charge overseas. Absolutely nothing to be done -- when your plane lands you get a text that says "Welcome to Lower Slobbovia; please use your phone normally."

 

[audreyh1]

I used to be an ATT customer and generally liked it. But one of the big reasons a lot of us went over to T-Mobile is that we avoid that $10/day charge overseas. Absolutely nothing to be done -- when your plane lands you get a text that says "Welcome to Lower Slobbovia; please use your phone normally."

+1

Also Mexico and Canada are included. I live along the border and no longer sweat it when I get a “Welcome to Mexico” message.