Rural areas like where I live in Kansas have long struggled with connectivity issues. Whether it’s cell phones or the internet, many times these communities are left with either very slow and patchy coverage, or none at all.
The situation is even more dire in areas where outdoor enthusiasts like to adventure, where coverage is almost impossible. But the recent announcement by T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink gives hope to those in both situations.
Filling in the gaps
While T-Mobile has improved significantly over the past five years to become one of the top wireless carriers in the US, there are still many gaps in coverage. But the same goes for other options like AT&T and Verizon, regardless of what any of their cards may say.
Adding cell towers in remote and rural areas is not only difficult, but expensive, and a big reason for so many dead zones.
T-Mobile has been my service provider for years despite its flaws because the other carriers are just as bad where I live. T-Mobile offers more value in a variety of ways to make up for this. I also think that of all the carriers in the US, T-Mobile is putting more effort than its competitors into solving connectivity issues – the latest partnership with SpaceX Starlink is a fantastic example.
In short, this partnership aims to eliminate dead spots in coverage by combining Starlink Internet satellites and using T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum to provide basic cellular connectivity where there would otherwise be none. When your phone is connected using this method, initially only SMS, MMS, supported messaging apps, and potentially limited video are available to users. There are hopes to expand it to voice and data down the line.
While I know the chances of this service living up to the hype are slim, I’m still excited about it. The idea that my family or I won’t be stranded on the side of the road with no way to contact anyone could be a thing of the past is incredible.
On the other hand, when I go camping: More often than not, the places I camp don’t have very good cell coverage. Although one of the reasons I go camping is to disconnect, Starlink and T-Mobile can do that so I still have a way to contact someone if needed. But beyond the convenience aspect, there are many other benefits that can come from this and future partnerships.
Currently, Starlink only pairs with T-Mobile, but according to the CEO of both companies, the goal is to partner with other carriers around the world. If this can be accomplished, it could lead to wireless communication to remote parts of the world and also help in emergencies where people are stranded in areas that cannot otherwise be served by traditional service methods.
Both T-Mobile and Starlink are doing some pretty impressive things to bring internet to those who either can’t get proper broadband or have extremely limited options. I reviewed T-Mobile home internet and am currently using SpaceX Starlink internet in my home. While I personally can’t use T-Mobile for my home internet due to the aforementioned patchy coverage in my home, Starlink has been great for the most part.
To continue the goal of providing global Internet, SpaceX will need many more satellites in orbit – and that is almost every week. Starlink will continue to grow to meet the company’s internal goals of being an ISP, but this growth will be essential to support this goal of eliminating cellular gaps.
So while SpaceX and T-Mobile work on expanding coverage, there will have to be changes to the phones we carry to allow us to use the new service. T-Mobile says most existing phones should have no problem using the service, so that’s great, assuming it works. On the software side, Android 14 has been confirmed to support satellite connectivity.
I know there’s still a long way to go before this new communication method is available worldwide, and it won’t even be on T-Mobile until late 2023. Then, once it launches, there are bound to be bugs and availability issues. But the fact that this technology has potential and is being tried really makes me happy and hopefully it can help a lot of people.