SpaceX begins construction of GSM network in space

Direct to Cell will be good for calls and texts for now

Life

Image: SpaceX

SpaceX has launched six satellites that act as mobile phone towers. Earthlings with this will start calling, texting and surfing the Internet in the world’s most remote areas with their regular cell phones.

Earlier this week, SpaceX’s telecom company Starlink launched the first six satellites to provide its Direct to Cell service. Eventually, there should be hundreds of them to collectively form a global mobile network in space. No more terrestrial telecom masts are needed for telecom coverage on cell phones.

In the coming months, Starlink will test the technology, capacity and its overall service. To this end, it is working with telecom companies such as T-Mobile in the US, Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, One NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland and Entel in Chile and Peru.

Even on the highest mountains or the most remote steppes and deserts, the 2,000 testers should still be able to just send a text message. Starlink’s service in 2024 will, however, go no further than letting people send and receive text messages. Bandwidth from space is now roughly seven megabytes per second. That’s too little even for telephony or Whatsapp. That should change starting in 2025, when more satellites go live.

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