Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has announced that it has successfully sent its first text messages via T-Mobile’s spectrum using its D2D (direct-to-device) Starlink satellites. The company launched these satellites last week and they are designed to offer cell phone connectivity anywhere in the world.
The program was announced in August 2022 and the company said that it will be rolling out its Direct to Cell service for customers later this year.Using this network, T-Mobile customers can stay online even when they’re in a terrestrial dead zone.
Read the first message sent by Starlink satellites
In a post shared on social media platform X, SpaceX confirmed that the first message that was sent via T-Mobile using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites was “Hellow”. The post includes an image which shows the whole conversation between the sender and the recipient who were connected to the satellite network.

T-Mobile-Starlink satellite connectivity: Availability
The satellite connectivity scheme requires larger, special versions of the Starlink satellites with D2D capability. SpaceX launched the first six of these satellites on January 2 to complete its early tests. T-Mobile has also confirmed that it is planning to launch text services publicly for US users in 2024.
Meanwhile, voice, data and IoT (internet of things) connections are planned to come in 2025. Globally, SpaceX has partnered with Rogers in Canada, Australia’s Optus, KDDI in Japan and others for satellite connectivity.
Importance of satellite connectivity
While announcing the plan, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said that the technology has the potential to eliminate dead zones. This will allow users to get in touch with their loved ones even if they’re in the middle of the ocean. However, SpaceX said that the system, which uses LTE/4G (not 5G protocols) is a bit more complicated. As the satellites move at tens of thousands of miles per hour relative to the Earth, data needs to be handed off seamlessly between them. The company also said that things like Doppler shift, timing delays and the relatively low transmission power of smartphones must also be accounted for.