Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / SpaceX's Starlink Achieves Groundbreaking Success in Direct to Cell Mobile Roaming Service

Transcript

SpaceX's Starlink Achieves Groundbreaking Success in Direct to Cell Mobile Roaming Service · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
• 0:05
  This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that
• 0:08
  shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.
• 0:13
  And I'm your host, Will Walden. Spacex's Starlink has recently
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  conducted its first successful live test of the new Global
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  Direct to Sell or the DTC mobile roaming service.
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  This is a huge test. It's conducted with standard
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  unmodified smartphones comes just days after the launch of
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  the first batch of DTC capable satellites on top of a Falcon 9
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  rocket. Currently the service is limited
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  to sending and receiving texts only, but in the future they
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  want to do phone calls and send data too.
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  Now the Starlink network with approximately 5311 low Earth
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  orbit satellites, or Leo, is set to expand by roughly 7500 by the
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  end of 2027. Now in the UK, Starlink offers
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  packages starting at about $75.00 a month, and in the US
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  it's about the same. And that's you also have to buy
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  the equipment as well for the ground services.
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  Now the service promises fast Internet with low latency times
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  and considerable download and upload speeds in rural areas.
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  Globally, Starlink boasts 2.3 million customers, with 42,000
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  of them in the UK and more in the US, primarily in rural
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  areas. In the addition of 4G mobile
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  capability to the satellite constellation aims to enable
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  global roaming communications with regular smartphones, a
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  significant step beyond traditional satellite phone
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  services. Now Starlink's DTC satellites
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  feature in advance E node B modem functioning like a cell
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  phone tower in space. Now this innovation allows for
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  network integration akin to standard roaming services and
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  the first technological test of this capability was conducted in
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  the USA in partnership with T-Mobile.
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  The test demonstrated the capability of these satellites
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  to facilitate the sending and receiving of text messages via
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  an unspecified smartphone. This marks a huge achievement in
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  satellite based communication technologies.
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  It's Starlight's statement highlighted the challenges and
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  breakthroughs of this tech. They noted the difficulties of
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  connecting cell phones to moving satellites and the innovative
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  solutions involving custom silicone phased array antennas
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  and advanced software algorithms to overcome those challenges.
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  And SpaceX plans to launch additional DTC capable
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  satellites to introduce a basic text service by 2024 and with
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  the aim to expand to voice, data and IoT services by 2025.
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  Now currently in the UK, they lack a mobile operator partner
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  for the service, but in the US they have T-Mobile, and pricing
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  details for global roaming plans are yet to be disclosed.
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  Elon Musk has stated that the first DTC capable satellites
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  offer limited data speeds, suggesting that while beneficial
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  for areas without cell connectivity, they're not
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  competitive with terrestrial networks.
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  Yet SYSTEM aims to provide basic communication needs,
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  particularly in remote areas, say if you're hiking in the
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  woods, or if you're up on a mountain, or if you're skiing
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  someplace where there's no cell service.
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  Well, this could possibly be at least a lifeline with a text
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  service and possible data in the near future.
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  Now, a recent update from Starlink revealed their
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  successful test with T-Mobile using network spectrum to send
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  and receive text messages through their new satellites.
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  And this is a major advancement in integrating satellite and
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  cell communications because currently we have cell towers in
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  the service described as cell phone towers in space plans to
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  offer text messages later this year for T-Mobile customers in
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  the US in a broader range with voice and data services expected
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  to commence in 2025. And the connectivity of the cell
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  phones to satellites was also outlined by SpaceX and they said
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  that the challenges of terrestrial stationary networks
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  versus fast moving satellites is remarkable.
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  The company showed that technological advancements
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  enables standard LTE services to cell phones on the ground.
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  T-mobile's collaboration with Spacex's Starlink is a huge
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  advancement in the cellular coverage for space tech now,
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  particularly in areas traditionally underserved by
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  conventional network infrastructure.
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  Its partnership is not just about enhancing existing
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  services, but also moving forward with a novel approach to
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  connectivity. The field test plans with
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  Starlink satellites show a crucial step in this joint
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  adventure. Now these tests aim to
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  demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of using
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  satellites to bridge coverage gaps in regions where
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  geographical challenges such as rugged terrain or stringent land
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  use restrictions impede the establishment of ground based
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  cellular towers. Now this network could provide a
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  much needed solution. This approach promises to extend
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  T-mobile's reach, offering connectivity to customers in
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  even the most remote locations. Now the significance of this
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  development lies in its potential to redefine the scope
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  of mobile network coverage. By integrating satellite
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  technology into their network, T-mobile's not only looking to
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  enhance their service in remote areas, but also to ensure
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  reliability and continuous connectivity in emergency
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  situations where terrestrial networks might fail.
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  This initiative could transform the way we think about mobile
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  coverage, especially in disaster prone regions where
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  communication is critical. The collaboration is poised to
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  offer a unique combination of terrestrial and extraterrestrial
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  network capabilities, creating a more robust and versatile
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  communication network. The anticipation around the
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  field testing phase reflects the industry's growing recognition
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  of the need for more innovative solutions to address
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  connectivity challenges in diverse environments.
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  This T-Mobile and Spacex's startling venture into this new
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  territory. They're setting the stage for
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  more connected future. The success of this partnership
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  could encourage other mobile operators to explore similar
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  satellite based solutions, potentially leading to a more
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  interconnected and accessible world.
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  A Starling satellites, once fully operational, could provide
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  a more complementary layer to existing cell networks, ensuring
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  that people stay connected all the time regardless of the
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  location. Now, it's not just a
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  technological leap though. It's a commitment to bridging
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  the digital divide between land based and space based Internet
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  and all corners of the globe. The plan is to launch D2D tech
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  service this year and expand to include voice, data and Internet
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  of Things services by 2025. The expansion of the Starlink
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  Internet service to a network of over 5000 satellites serving
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  more than 2.3 million customers worldwide shows that they want
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  to scale this, and in the broader context, several
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  smartphone manufacturers, service providers, and satellite
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  companies are collaborating to roll out direct to device
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  services. Apple, for instance, has
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  launched its Emergency SOS with satellite service in partnership
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  with Global Star, while Iridium recently introduced Project
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  Stardust, aiming to test its D2D service in 2025.
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  Now Qualcomm's dissolved partnership with Iridium and the
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  latter's new initiative highlight the dynamic nature of
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  collaborations in the sector. Iridium planned to begin rolling
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  out its D2D service by 2026 adds another layer to the landscape
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  of satellite based communication services.
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  The series of developments underscores the technological
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  strides being made by satellite companies and the ability to
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  connect regular smartphones directly to satellites open up
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  some new possibilities for global connectivity,
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  particularly in these remote and underserved areas that we were
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  talking about earlier. This is a huge, huge
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  development, especially for regions lacking traditional
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  cellular network infrastructure. And as this technology evolves,
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  we'll be here to let you know about everything that happens.
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  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
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  I really do appreciate your support.
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  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.