T-Mobile partners with space company SpaceX

US telecom provider T-Mobile will work with SpaceX, the space company of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. A new version of Starlink, SpaceX’s proprietary satellite system, will arrive next year. With this, companies will provide wireless connections in areas of the US where there is currently limited range. Teslas can also use the system in the long term.

SpaceX will design special antennas for communications. They are placed on internet satellites so T-Mobile customers can connect, according to Musk. V2 satellites are launched into space when a Starship rocket is launched from SpaceX. This missile is currently under development.

According to Musk, the connections should be strong enough to transmit text and picture messages, but perhaps also small video files. He warned that sending such messages could take up to half an hour when the system was just launched. According to Musk, the connection should also work during severe weather, such as during hurricanes. These damages are usually caused in traditional cell phone towers. According to Musk, communications will eventually save lives for people stuck somewhere where there is no range.

Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Seifert announced Thursday evening during an event at SpaceX’s headquarters in Texas. Seifert said that customers who already have one of the popular subscriptions can use the service for free. Customers with a cheaper plan may have to pay an additional amount.

Musk also immediately invited other telecom providers to collaborate with Starlink. The goal is to make communications work in space, too. We also want T-Mobile on Mars,” Musk said. Musk also later tweeted that Teslas should also be able to use the system long-term, so they can send messages or make calls in an emergency.

Starlink was established to provide high speed internet connections to consumers, particularly in rural areas where fixed internet service providers are not available. Currently, there are about 2,800 of the company’s satellites in orbit. Starlink began placing satellites in 2019.