Starlink Direct to Cell Satellites Launch

[Scubawise]

New things coming to make camping easier..

SpaceX and T-Mobile launch “direct to cell” service as carriers try to boost bars from space

Up, up, and away… SpaceX has teamed up with T-Mobile in launching its first satellites designed to supercharge cell coverage from space (SpaceX is calling it “direct to cell” service). Most people’s bars are powered by cell towers on land, but space satellites can also beam signals directly to phones. While the tech isn’t meant to replace land towers, it can help in emergency situations like when power’s down.

Linked up: T-Mobile’s Starlink satellites will help power the “un-carrier”’s direct-to-cell service starting with text messages (voice and data should follow).

5G in Fiji: Starlink hopes its satellites will boost global cell coverage and eliminate “dead zones” everywhere, from the Grand Canyon to your folks’ attic.

Window seat WiFi: In addition to its cell-data service, Starlink’s also teamed up with Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airlines to provide free WiFi on long-haul flights.

Cell towers are soo 2023… Apple kicked off the phone-to-satellite craze in 2022, investing $450M to let iPhone users send emergency texts through mobile satellite company Globalstar (picture: sending an SOS from your desert campsite). In September, AT&T connected the first satellite 5G phone call with satellite partner AST SpaceMobile, but has yet to roll out the feature at scale. Verizon announced plans to work with Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites to offer a similar service in 2021, but there haven’t been updates.

THE TAKEAWAY
Phone companies are going back to basics… with connectivity when you need it. While the size of the phone-to-satellite market is TBD, the tech could connect people still struggling with poor connectivity — especially in dangerous situations. Smartphone makers hope that adding satellite connectivity will encourage consumers to upgrade. Deloitte forecasts that 200M+ smartphones with satellite-connecting capabilities will be sold this year.

 

[dkoldman]

New things coming to make camping easier..

SpaceX and T-Mobile launch “direct to cell” service as carriers try to boost bars from space

Up, up, and away… SpaceX has teamed up with T-Mobile in launching its first satellites designed to supercharge cell coverage from space (SpaceX is calling it “direct to cell” service). Most people’s bars are powered by cell towers on land, but space satellites can also beam signals directly to phones. While the tech isn’t meant to replace land towers, it can help in emergency situations like when power’s down.

Linked up: T-Mobile’s Starlink satellites will help power the “un-carrier”’s direct-to-cell service starting with text messages (voice and data should follow).

5G in Fiji: Starlink hopes its satellites will boost global cell coverage and eliminate “dead zones” everywhere, from the Grand Canyon to your folks’ attic.

Window seat WiFi: In addition to its cell-data service, Starlink’s also teamed up with Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airlines to provide free WiFi on long-haul flights.

Cell towers are soo 2023… Apple kicked off the phone-to-satellite craze in 2022, investing $450M to let iPhone users send emergency texts through mobile satellite company Globalstar (picture: sending an SOS from your desert campsite). In September, AT&T connected the first satellite 5G phone call with satellite partner AST SpaceMobile, but has yet to roll out the feature at scale. Verizon announced plans to work with Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites to offer a similar service in 2021, but there haven’t been updates.

THE TAKEAWAY
Phone companies are going back to basics… with connectivity when you need it. While the size of the phone-to-satellite market is TBD, the tech could connect people still struggling with poor connectivity — especially in dangerous situations. Smartphone makers hope that adding satellite connectivity will encourage consumers to upgrade. Deloitte forecasts that 200M+ smartphones with satellite-connecting capabilities will be sold this year.

Something like this must have already existed? Because I was told somewhere (from somebody) that I can make emergency 911 calls even with no cellular service. I have never tried to confirm.

Either way, I am in the process of getting my own GMRS radios as a backup because we finally found a State Park that had no T Mobile Cellular service. https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27/questions-rv-2-way-radio-comm-experts-36003-3.html

I got my GMRS license yesterday, waiting on radios to ship.

I thought folks that were saying they knew of areas with no T Mobile service were just making it up, and we had to be nice to them to not get kicked off the forum

 

[16ACE27]

Something like this must have already existed? Because I was told somewhere (from somebody) that I can make emergency 911 calls even with no cellular service. I have never tried to confirm.

Negative

You can make 911 calls on a cell phone with no cellular SERVICE but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

 

[dkoldman]

Negative

You can make 911 calls on a cell phone with no cellular SERVICE but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

I follow, and help me sink it in clearly.

So at this State Park, our phones would show 0, 1 or 2 bars. My Black Home Internet box actually would show 1,2 or 3 bars, but in all cases it said something like "Can't connect to the Network"

So I assume that constitutes "No Signal" despite that we own T Mobile Service?

Or do you think it may have been possible to make a 911 call with 1 or 2 bars. I am inferring that I may possible have had some connection to the Network but not reliable enough for regular service, but if it had been an emergency, the 911 call may have gone through?

The Starlink Satelites may help fill the emergency voids, at least initially. In the meantime, despite not having radios yet, I am learning how I will have additionally for my use all of the GMRS channels (22) to get help, and the 8 of the same that actually Repeater channels.

Now that I am licensed by FCC with my very own Call Sign, I must be a Communications Expert, even though I have yet to ever own a radio, or even use one for that matter :whistling:

 

[happy-THOR]

Any cell phone that has a digital signal......IE: a phone that is not many years old and still analog....can be used to call 911. This is due to the FCC ruling that a person does not have to pay for a cell phone or data plan to make an emergency call to 911. Although I have heard that analog capability may exist in some areas.


The phone must however be in an area that has cell phone coverage. The "free" 911 call has no special power to connect to anything that any other phone could. Cell phones do have varying degrees of good, better, best antennas and that can affect why one phone may work where another does not.

 

[dkoldman]

Any cell phone that has a digital signal......IE: a phone that is not many years old and still analog....can be used to call 911. This is due to the FCC ruling that a person does not have to pay for a cell phone or data plan to make an emergency call to 911. Although I have heard that analog capability may exist in some areas.


The phone must however be in an area that has cell phone coverage. The "free" 911 call has no special power to connect to anything that any other phone could. Cell phones do have varying degrees of good, better, best antennas and that can affect why one phone may work where another does not.

So if you are a T Mobile customer, you could benefit from this Starlink Satelite initiative that Scuba is crowing about, and / or a 2 way Radio to make emergency calls where the T Mobile Network is not otherwise available to be Happy?

 

[happy-THOR]

If cell phone service is not available you do need something else.

For truly dependable help I would much rather have a Starlink enabled device or other Satellite Phone. That would make me Happiest. That way you can call for the help you need. All of the radio services talked about in other posts depend on a nice person hearing your radio call for help and then doing what they can to contact the right agency who can help you.
There are few people on any "civilian" radio standing by to hear a call for help. Those who might hear you probably would pass on the info to the Forest service, Sheriff etc. So they are better than nothing.

 

[dkoldman]

If cell phone service is not available you do need something else.

For truly dependable help I would much rather have a Starlink enabled device or other Satellite Phone. That would make me Happiest. That way you can call for the help you need. All of the radio services talked about in other posts depend on a nice person hearing your radio call for help and then doing what they can to contact the right agency who can help you.
There are few people on any "civilian" radio standing by to hear a call for help. Those who might hear you probably would pass on the info to the Forest service, Sheriff etc. So they are better than nothing.

I don't think Happiest is in Kansas anymore? Happy is all I need...

I will never have Starlink akin to why I will never have a Tuscany, or a WBGO Horizon. Even if they were given to me free to own, too much baggage to own, maintain and use.

You raise a question that I will need to ask when I get the radios. Does the State Park Ranger station have a frequency they monitor for emergencies within the Park? If so; I would be Dhappierman

 

[Bob Nodine]

Negative

You can make 911 calls on a cell phone with no cellular SERVICE but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

Should read "you can make 911 calls with no service plan but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

 

[dkoldman]

Should read "you can make 911 calls with no service plan but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

Or should it be "you can make 911 calls with no service plan, but you have to have confirmed connected to the cellular NETWORK"?

I was getting in some spots 0 to 3 t-mobile bars (mostly 0, 1 or 2 bars); but I could not make phone calls due to message not connected to the network despite my apparent signal strength.

We will spend 4 days at this park in May. I will be ready. They do have WiFi at the Clubhouse / Visitor Center so we can set our phones for WiFi Calling to let calls, voicemails and texts through. That is assuming between now and then T - Mobile and Starlink don't have arrangements for us given we are in remote area?

If T-mobile auto configs firmware where if no Network Connection is active, and phone is on, it automatically connects to Starlink; then I would be Dhappiestman

 

[16ACE27]

Should read "you can make 911 calls with no service plan but you have to have a cellular SIGNAL.

Or should it be "you can make 911 calls with no service plan, but you have to have confirmed connected to the cellular NETWORK"?

I was getting in some spots 0 to 3 t-mobile bars (mostly 0, 1 or 2 bars); but I could not make phone calls due to message not connected to the network despite my apparent signal strength.

Or simply: You can make 911 calls on any cell PHONE with a USABLE cell signal.

Usable means it has to be consistent enough to register to a cell tower and be able to send and receive data. If you can't call 911 you may be able to text 911 with a minimum signal.

 

[dkoldman]

Or simply: You can make 911 calls on any cell PHONE with a USABLE cell signal.

Usable means it has to be consistent enough to register to a cell tower and be able to send and receive data. If you can't call 911 you may be able to text 911 with a minimum signal.

Well alrighty then....

 

[16ACE27]

 

[Bob Nodine]

Wow, brings to mind the concept of "Big Brother is Watching You". There will be no place to hide. When I was in high school in the early sixties Orson Well's book 1984 was a hot topic. At the time 1984 seemed far in the future and we all thought it was ridiculous to think that a government could know your every move. Maybe not so ridiculous any more. As this video describes, the DTC satellites will be connected to the Starlink system via lasers which means our cellphones will be visible to entire world, including bad players in Russia, China, Korea, etc.

 

[Jimbo56]

I follow, and help me sink it in clearly.

So at this State Park, our phones would show 0, 1 or 2 bars. My Black Home Internet box actually would show 1,2 or 3 bars, but in all cases it said something like "Can't connect to the Network"

So I assume that constitutes "No Signal" despite that we own T Mobile Service?

Or do you think it may have been possible to make a 911 call with 1 or 2 bars. I am inferring that I may possible have had some connection to the Network but not reliable enough for regular service, but if it had been an emergency, the 911 call may have gone through?

The Starlink Satelites may help fill the emergency voids, at least initially. In the meantime, despite not having radios yet, I am learning how I will have additionally for my use all of the GMRS channels (22) to get help, and the 8 of the same that actually Repeater channels.

Now that I am licensed by FCC with my very own Call Sign, I must be a Communications Expert, even though I have yet to ever own a radio, or even use one for that matter :whistling:

Need to stay at Holiday Inn express to be considered an “expert”!

 

[dkoldman]

Need to stay at Holiday Inn express to be considered an “expert”!

When I bought my RV 4 years ago, in parallel I accepted the fact that my future Holiday Inn Express education was going to be limited. I have tried to use Forums to fill the void, but it was not until my recent plight with voids in an upcoming planned trip cellular services, and the FCC that I reached this critical masse.

I now study with NotaRubicon for all my Communications Expert needs. He has many you tube videos but this one in particular was that "Wow this is the Guy I need."

He has 40 years in the business. With my GMRS license, I feel pretty sure I can take over as Lead Communications Engineer of Air Force 1, should we ever have a real true war time emergency.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Don't stop there. You shouldn't need a gubment license to be a plumber or electrician either. And those civil engineering licenses - just to build something as simple as a bridge? A license for a liquor store? It's out of control! This gubment control is just going TOO FAR! I'm not only burning my draft card... I'm tossing in my driver license and social security card too!

It's hillbillies like this guy who have a sadistic motive to turn the U.S. into the next third world India. His "freedom" comes at the expense of violating everyone else's freedoms. Only he's too wrapped up in himself to see that.

When unlicensed 14 year olds start driving monster trucks through his front yard at three in the morning he'll change his tune.

 

[dkoldman]

Don't stop there. You shouldn't need a gubment license to be a plumber or electrician either. And those civil engineering licenses - just to build something as simple as a bridge? A license for a liquor store? It's out of control! This gubment control is just going TOO FAR! I'm not only burning my draft card... I'm tossing in my driver license and social security card too!

It's hillbillies like this guy who have a sadistic motive to turn the U.S. into the next third world India. His "freedom" comes at the expense of violating everyone else's freedoms. Only he's too wrapped up in himself to see that.

When unlicensed 14 year olds start driving monster trucks through his front yard at three in the morning he'll change his tune.

Maybe the guy misread the Ken Block quote to read.

Be creative, and have a fun life all the while being an @**hole! -Ken Block



He is hilarious, hard to watch as many communications videos as I have without seeing some of his work. There is another one called the Smoking Ape and they seem to clash and take pot shots at each other.