Starlink finalizes its 4G satellite constellation: here is the bandwidth announced by Elon Musk

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Currently, to communicate via Starlink satellites, you need a special antenna to install on homes, boats, planes, etc. But SpaceX is preparing a new service called Direct to Cell that will allow you to connect to Starlink satellites, directly on your smartphone, and continue to have a mobile network in dead zones.

10 Mb per beam

And currently, this new service is very close to a launch. As we mentioned in a previous article, SpaceX has already obtained the green light from the American authorities. And this week, the company announced that it has completed its first-ever Direct to Cell satellite constellation. “This will allow unmodified cell phones to connect to the Internet in remote areas,”Musk says in a post on X. He also says that, for now, the bandwidth “is only 10 Mb” per beam. However, future constellations will be more efficient.

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As a reminder, SpaceX’s roadmap calls for the deployment of a service that will allow text messages to be exchanged in 2024, then support for calls and mobile data from 2025. But for this service, Starlink will have to go through operators. SpaceX is working with T-Mobile for the US, Optus for Australia, Rogers for Canada, One NZ for New Zealand, KDDI for Japan, SALT for Switzerland, and Entel for Chile and Peru.

4G from space

To offer this mobile service, Starlink had to deploy new satellites capable of communicating directly with smartphones. “We embed an advanced LTE modem on board each satellite that functions like a cell tower in space,” , Starlink explained in a previous press release.
And the advantage of this system, compared to other satellite communication services, is that it is, in theory, compatible with all 4G-compatible devices. This is a huge advantage over Apple’s satellite communications service, which requires special equipment found only on the iPhone 14 and newer models.

• Starlink is preparing to launch a new service that will allow you to communicate via satellites directly on your smartphone
• Elon Musk just announced that the first Direct to Cell constellation is now complete
• Bandwidth is still low, but that will improve as Starlink adds more constellations
• Direct to Cell satellites work like cell towers in space and can communicate with 4G devices

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