SpaceX’s Starlink has been gradually strengthening its coverage since its launch. It recently announced that it has successfully launched a new batch of satellites into orbit, including satellites that support the new Direct to Cell function, which can directly connect to mobile phone networks.
Starlink satellites that support the Direct to Cell function are equipped with eNodeB modems, which function like signal transmitting stations on land and can directly transmit LTE signals to the ground, which greatly expands the coverage of the LTE network, whether it is a mobile phone or other device that supports the LTE network. All can connect to the Starlink network through this method.
This will allow for mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth.
Note, this only supports ~7Mb per beam and the beams are very big, so while this is a great solution for locations with no cellular connectivity, it is not meaningfully competitive with existing terrestrial…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2024
Currently, SpaceX has been approved to cooperate with T-Mobile in the United States for testing, and Japan’s KDDI is also cooperating. However, Elon Musk added that this service can only be used as an auxiliary and cannot be compared with the strength of ground signal transmitting stations, so it is not a direct competition. . Now SpaceX is still increasing the number of satellites. This year it will only support text messages, and it is expected to support voice calls starting in 2025.
source:ITMedia
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2024-01-06 12:00:22
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