SpaceX's first launch of 2024 deployed our first set of Starlink sats with the Direct to Cell capability to help end cellphone dead zones. Today, the Direct to Cell constellation is nearly 10x the size of all other operators pursuing a similar combined capability.
Thanks to temporary approval, Starlink Direct to Cell was briefly allowed to offer its services to states hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. A SpaceX report stated that 270,000 mobile phones connected to Starlink Direct to Cell on the first day of service in states impacted by the hurricanes.
Within a few years, @SpaceX direct to cell capability will improve by more than an order of magnitude, due to increased satellite count and improved technology.
Starlink Direct to Cell currently partners with T-Mobile. SpaceX aims to work with at least one mobile carrier in each country in the future, and expand partnerships in the United States.
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