Elon Musk Says Starlink Could Replace Your Cellphone Carrier
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    18 years
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I doubt that I will replace my smartphone with something like this any time soon, but it is still interesting to read about.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/elon-musk-says-starlink-c...
On Wednesday, just one day after SpaceX acquired $17 billion of wireless spectrum from telecommunications company EchoStar, Elon Musk made some typically bold claims for how he would put it to use. The second-richest person in the world described a vision where Starlink could be your one-stop-shop for connectivity, whether at home or when you’re away from your Wi-Fi.
On the All-In podcast, Musk said Starlink could eventually combine its home internet service with mobile. But he was careful to note that Starlink wouldn’t be putting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon out of business anytime soon – those companies still own far more of the wireless spectrum that’s used to send texts, make calls and stream videos. But the billionaire grinned when it was suggested that one way to acquire more spectrum would be to purchase Verizon outright.
“It’s not out of the question,” Musk said. “I suppose that may happen.”
The SpaceX CEO also outlined a plan to utilize the newly acquired spectrum to use Starlink satellites, which SpaceX calls "cell towers in space,” to send data directly to customers’ phones. Out of SpaceX’s 8,140 total satellites in orbit, 657 are direct-to-cell. The rest are used for Starlink’s internet service.
“This is kind of a long-term thing,” Musk said of the EchoStar spectrum purchase. “It will allow SpaceX to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity directly from the satellites to the phones. But there are hardware changes that need to happen in the phone.”
Watch this: Hands-On with T-Mobile's T-Satellite Service
01:55
In order to use the EchoStar spectrum, cellphones would have to be outfitted with chipsets that work with those frequencies. Musk estimates that would take about two years.
“I think their place in the ecosystem is to support the big carriers by providing satellite connectivity so that they can connect anywhere, anytime,” Jeff Moore, an industry analyst with Wave7 Research, told CNET.
In July, SpaceX launched a partnership with T-Mobile that uses Starlink satellites to fill connectivity gaps in dead zones around the country. Customers enrolled in the T-Satellite service can send SMS texts right now, but the service will expand next month to include data support in third-party apps like AccuWeather, AllTrails, WhatsApp and X.
The new EchoStar spectrum would essentially hypercharge Starlink’s direct-to-cell bandwidth capabilities, but it will take some time to get there.
“It’s out there already, but the more capacity you have, the better, and the more frequencies you have the better,” says Moore. “There's certainly room for improvement. I think that's the intention of the spectrum transaction.”
Connectivity?
I dispute the "anytime, anywhere" statement.
I've been comparing satellite connectivity on my iPhone 16 with that of Garmin's Inreach satellite service. Signal strength of Starlink's low earth orbit satellites is not sufficient in canyons or deep river valleys. Many more satellites will be required to match the connectivity provided by Inreach/Irridium high orbit satellites.
We'll see if this changes in the future.
Elon Musk Says Starlink Could Replace Your Cellphone Carrier
Are you are referring to the Globalstar system that Apple iPhone uses or T-Satellite? I suspect that you mean the Globalstar system and I agree they need more.
https://spacenews.com/globalstar-soars-on-apples-1-5-billion...
This is what AI found regarding the number of satellites.
iPhone satellite functionality relies on Globalstar's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. While the company currently operates around 31 satellites, and previously used 25, it is in the process of launching a next-generation constellation. This upgraded network, funded partially by Apple, will include new satellites with options for additional units, ultimately expanding coverage and services beyond the current emergency SOS and basic texting capabilities.
Current Network:
Number of Satellites: Globalstar currently uses a network that includes about 31 operational satellites, though older sources mention 25.
Services: This network enables iPhones to send emergency messages and perform other services, even when cellular networks are unavailable.
Future Network (for Apple's service):
Construction: Globalstar has ordered up to 26 new satellites to build out its "Extended MSS Network".
Launches: These new satellites are scheduled to begin launching in 2025.
Funding: Apple has committed substantial funds to Globalstar to help replenish and expand this network.
Goal: The aim is to provide broader and more reliable coverage, potentially supporting services beyond the current basic messaging, according to SpaceNews.
I am a "beta tester" on T-Satellite. They have more satellites than Globalstar.
T-Satellite uses the Starlink satellite constellation and has access to over 650 satellites to provide service. This network of satellites acts as cellular towers in space, allowing smartphones to connect and send texts in areas without traditional cellular coverage.
Key Details:
What it is: T-Mobile's T-Satellite service connects smartphones to space-based satellites for messaging.
How it works: It uses a portion of the Starlink constellation, which consists of more than 650 satellites.
Coverage: The service is designed to provide connectivity in remote areas where there are no cell towers.
Availability: It is available for use with compatible devices, including iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel phones.
wrong pieces
If you designed a network for LEO satellites providing services to handheld phones, the phones would differ from our current ones. In particular the reward for higher gain antennas which point the right way, and for lower-noise receivers would be considerable.
Maybe not all the way to the "bricks" of the original Iridium handsets, but something in that direction.
I've got an original Starlink user dish on my roof. The contrast to the iPhone in my pocket is thought-provoking.
personal GPS user since 1992
What About the Cost
The current cost for Starlink is more than double my current service. Maybe if the cost drops significantly?
cost may depend on service
I was on the beta test for T-mobile's service provisioned by Starlink for remote area (as in, no T-Mobile tower able to serve) text messages and maybe a bit more. Although I live in New Mexico, which has plenty of cell service dead area, I never got any use of the beta test as I did not travel to those places in those months. I nevertheless signed up for the paid service--currently a $10/month adder to my T-Mobile bill. I may never use it, but if sometime I'm in a place without service (maybe right here during some disaster) I might be happy enough to have it to justify the expense.
The thinking is similar to having my small standby electric generator.
personal GPS user since 1992
Elon Musk Says Starlink Could Replace Your Cellphone Carrier
Speaking of cost, I wonder if the direct-to-cell service will cause traditional satellite service price to become more competitive.
starlink down
Starlink (tm) down just earlier today...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/business/elon-musk-starlink-s...
We do need a backup plan
Thanks....
This is interesting.
RKF (Brookeville, MD) Garmin Nuvi 660, 360 & Street Pilot
Short this time
Starlink (tm) down just earlier today...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/business/elon-musk-starlink-s...
We do need a backup plan
Here at my Starlink home in Albuquerque New Mexico this outage was quite short. I run software that updates my weather website 24/7 with a set of file transfers once every five minutes. The error log tells me That I failed on the 10:30 p.m. attempt and on the 10:35 attempt first try, but the retry worked.
I currently maintain an Xfinity (aka Comcast) cable internet provision and my Starlink. I consider each the backup for the other. As failures on the two are almost entirely uncorrelated, this is probably an unusually good backup provision.
personal GPS user since 1992