"Starlink" plans to launch on mobile phones that support the 4G LTE standard. "SpaceX" has already launched a website advertising the future service.
It says that the "Direct to Cell" service will support text messages in 2024, and voice and other data will be added in 2025.
"Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever the sky is visible. There is no need to upgrade hardware or [download] special programs — it will provide seamless access to text, voice and data," states the "SpaceX" website.
The company owned by the American billionaire Elon Musk announced the launch of this service last year together with the American partner "T-Mobile", as writes "The Verge".
The new service is likely to be relatively slow compared to land-based communications — at speeds of 2 to 4 megabits per second — but its advantage will be its coverage width.
In a press release last year, "T-Mobile" promised that the new service would be available "nearly everywhere in the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters, even outside of T-Mobileʼs network signal."
- In late September, Elon Muskʼs company "SpaceX" also received its first contract from the US Space Force to provide customized satellite communications for the military as part of the "Starshield" program.