Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
long story short
- SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC regarding its initial Direct to Cell satellite phone service test.
- The service has been tested on unmodified Samsung, Apple and Google phones.
- The company claims the service works in “urban and rural areas, indoors and outdoors, under clear skies and under tree cover.”
SpaceX plans to launch Direct to Cell satellite phone service later this year. The service is powered by SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation and is currently undergoing testing. According to the company, everything seems to be going smoothly, even better than expected.
The first thing discovered was PCMagSince then, SpaceX has written to the FCC to report on its preliminary satellite service testing. In the letter, the company boasted that Direct to Cell “met or exceeded testing goals.”
SpaceX said that in its tests, it used “a variety of unmodified Samsung, Apple and Google device models using PCS G Block spectrum.” The tests reportedly successfully sent and received text messages from traditional SMS, X (formerly known as Twitter) and WhatsApp.
It doesn’t appear that the service has any issues with device location either. The company claims Direct to Cell can work in “urban and rural areas, indoors and outdoors, under clear skies and under tree cover.” The letter states that the tests were conducted in Redmond, Washington; Mountain View, California; and Kansas City, Kansas. Additionally, SpaceX said the devices are capable of communicating without “harmful interference from devices in adjacent frequency bands.”
SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile to provide the service to T-Mobile customers. When it finally launches, initial coverage will include the continental United States, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and U.S. territorial waters. The service is also expected to be available to operators around the world, including Rogers (Canada), Optus (Australia), One NZ (New Zealand), Salt (Switzerland) and KDDI (Japan).