Latest news with #satellite
Android Authority
3 hours ago
- Business
- Android Authority
T-Mobile's T-Satellite service goes live nationwide: Already used by 2 million people
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR T-Mobile has officially launched T-Satellite, a satellite texting service available to all US smartphone users, including AT&T and Verizon customers. The service connects phones directly to over 650 Starlink low-Earth orbit satellites for off-grid messaging and location sharing. Over 2 million people used T-Satellite during its beta phase, helping communicate during hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. T-Mobile's satellite messaging service, T-Satellite, has officially exited the beta testing phase and is now available to everyone in the US, including customers on AT&T and Verizon networks. T-Satellite, developed in partnership with Starlink, enables users to send and receive text messages even without traditional cell coverage as long as they can view the sky. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced the official start of the service, saying, 'Connectivity is critical infrastructure. This technology will save lives — and it's available starting today for everyone.' T-Satellite: Supported devices, plans, and pricing Users must have an unlocked phone with eSIM and satellite support to use the service. Over 60 devices are compatible with T-Satellite, including Google Pixel 9, iPhone 13 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S21 and up. A complete list of supported devices is available on T-Mobile's website. T-Mobile's Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans automatically include T-Satellite free of charge. Customers on other plans can add the service for a limited time for $10 per month under the 'Manage Data & Add-Ons' section in their account. Non-customers, a.k.a. those on Verizon or AT&T, can also get the service for a limited time at $10 per month by calling 1-855-964-2136 or visiting a T-Mobile retail location. T-Satellite was tested for six months and, according to the company, played a major role in recent disasters. During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, over 1 million people connected, sending over 650,000 text messages. In the Texas floods, nearly 94,000 users sent 287,000 messages via T-Satellite. The service also delivered hundreds of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), regardless of the user's carrier. T-Mobile plans to expand T-Satellite further in October, adding app-based features like maps, weather updates, and possibly international coverage. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- Science
- RNZ News
The University Of Auckland steps into Space
Last month the University Of Auckland launched it's own satellite TPA1. About the size of a loaf of bread it's now whizzing around the globe 500Km up - 15 times a day. The satellite will be available for staff and students to use in their projects. Dr Ben Taylor is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Auckland's Space Institute Photo: University Of Auckland
GSM Arena
5 hours ago
- GSM Arena
T-Mobile's T-Satellite service is now available to everyone
T-Mobile today announced the general availability of T-Satellite, its satellite communications service, to everyone, following months of testing with up to 30,000 daily active users. In total, 2 million people have already tried it in its testing phase. Interestingly, three times more messages were received on T-Satellite than were sent. T-Satellite uses more than 650 low-Earth orbit satellites to basically act like cell towers. T-Mobile bills this as "the largest satellite-to-mobile constellation". This works on over 60 phones with no apps required, both Android running ones and iPhones. T-Satellite provides texting service "just like you normally do". It connects automatically when in range, and you'll see a "SAT" icon when it's connected. Since satellites are moving, there may be short gaps in service, but your phone will keep trying to send your message until it succeeds. T-Satellite is included in T-Mobile's Experience Beyond and Go5G plans, as well as for Experience More customers that were part of the beta. If you're on another plan, you can add satellite support for $10 per month. Even non-customers can get T-Satellite "for a limited time" for the same price. The service currently covers the continental US and Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and "parts of Southern Alaska". Source
Wall Street Journal
9 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
NBCU Is Exploring Launching a Sports Cable Network
NBCUniversal is discussing launching a sports cable network that could debut as early as the fall, people familiar with the matter said. The channel would primarily carry sports that are also streamed on NBCU's Peacock platform. The network would be offered to cable and satellite distributors as part of specialty packages of similar channels, the people said.
CNET
10 hours ago
- CNET
I Tried T-Mobile's New Satellite Service for Texting in Dead Zones. Here's How It's Different
If you've traveled to remote areas where cellular coverage doesn't reach, you know that anxious feeling when your communications slam to a halt. T-Mobile's new $10 a month Starlink-based satellite texting service, T-Satellite, which went live today, takes a different approach from other satellite services to provide mobile access even within the half a million square miles of wireless dead zones in the US. To test it out, I drove nearly three hours from Seattle until my phone bars abandoned me, giving me a chance to see if satellite texting using T-Satellite is as easy as everyday cellular texting. Watch this: Hands-On with T-Mobile's T-Satellite Service 01:55 How T-Satellite differs from other satellite services Satellite texting is now a big deal: the wireless providers and phone-makers including Apple are betting satellite connectivity is the answer for travelers and people who live in remote areas (and even those impacted by emergencies such as the massive flooding in Texas). It also isn't new. Apple started offering SOS communication backed by Globalstar on the iPhone 14. And later, that allowed emergency texting when you're outside coverage areas -- a literal lifesaver for people injured, lost or stranded in remote areas. The feature also allowed you to share you location via satellite in the Find My app. Apple then expanded the service to include any texting using the Messages app, as well as calling for roadside assistance. CNET's David Lumb used Messages via satellite on his iPhone 15 Pro to text friends and share his thoughts when he summited Mount Haleakalā's peak in Hawaii. Google has a similar feature in its Pixel 9 phones, except the Pixel 9A, which works with satellite provider Skylo. Samsung Galaxy phones, like the recently released Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, can use Verizon for satellite texting and to contact emergency services through Skylo, too. However, that communication involves a few steps to activate the feature. You need to be outdoors with a clear view of the sky -- no trees or buildings -- and point your phone at a passing satellite, keeping it steady to maintain the connection. With T-Satellite, the experience is quite different. Texting is almost indistinguishable from when you're within cellular coverage. On a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with a T-Mobile plan, opening the Messages app showed the phone already connected to satellite, with a banner reading "You're messaging by satellite." A small satellite icon appears in the menu bar with radiating curves to indicate the status of the connection. The phone has automatically connected to the T-Satellite network, as indicated by its (teeny) status icon. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET This is due in part to the fact that there are now more than 650 Starlink satellites overhead providing wider coverage, but also because they use a frequency band compatible with most phones sold in the last four don't need a specific phone model that has satellite messaging hardware, such as the Motorola Razr Ultra. The experience of setting up T-Satellite on my iPhone 16 Pro was generally the same. One unique thing about T-Satellite is that T-Mobile is offering the service to anyone, even if they use another carrier for cellular service. In my case, I set up the T-Satellite beta using the second eSIM slot on my phone, and turned off the primary service (AT&T) in order to test just T-Mobile's feature. A solid black satellite icon appears in the menu bar. I should note that I performed this testing a couple days before T-Satellite went live, so it was technically during the T-Satellite beta period, and using a beta version of the Messages app on Android. Plus, I didn't attempt to make an emergency call, either, which on the T-Satellite service would mean dialing 911 in the phone app, versus initiating an SOS text communication using Apple's service. Texting, but sometimes slower Mostly, texting via satellite is just like texting via cellular. The data pipe between the phone and a satellite flying overhead at 17,000 miles per hour is small, so occasionally texts would take several seconds to go through. But sometimes a conversation would happen without any extended lag. By comparison, when CNET's Patrick Holland tested Apple's Messages via satellite feature, he noted that "most sends were nearly instantaneous, others took 15 to 20 seconds with one taking over a minute." One feature going live today for Android is the ability to send images, videos and audio files using Multimedia Messaging Service over the satellite network. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I snapped a photo of the lake and sent it using Messages as I normally would. The only difference over satellite is that it took around two and a half minutes to send. On Android, you can send photos via MMS even over the satellite connection. The feature is coming later for iOS. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET However, MMS is currently only supported on Android; iOS support is coming later. Also arriving in the future -- October, specifically -- is the ability for apps to send and receive data over the satellite connection. T-Mobile has cited AllTrails as an example of apps that'll be compatible with the service. This would be a great use of data for other mapping tools. Although I was never lost on this trip --I pulled into a well-marked scenic overlook to test with a stunning view -- I also made a point of downloading an offline map of the area using Apple Maps while I was still within cellular range. Lingering questions and challenges Not every message went through, and after my limited testing, there are a few areas where more clarity would help. For example, on Android, it wasn't always obvious when I'd lost satellite connection. In theory, with many Starlink satellites overhead, you shouldn't have to worry about pointing at a specific patch of sky to maintain a connection. But at one point after sending a message, some text below it said the app was waiting to connect. Only then did I notice the tiny satellite icon was showing thin gray bars instead of thin black bars. Compare that to Apple's implementation, which uses Dynamic Island to show an impossible-to-miss green status button to indicate a solid connection to a satellite. Or Google's Satellite SOS service, with its full-screen visual prompts that help you stay connected to a satellite or connect to a new one if needed. The prominent green icon in the Dynamic Island indicates a satellite connection when using Apple's satellite texting feature. (The red icon shows that the screen is being recorded and isn't related to the connection.) Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET I also ran into some confusion with my iPhone 16 Pro running T-Satellite as a secondary eSIM. When attempting to text a friend who came along with me and was using Apple's method on his iPhone, I got a message that he was connected via satellite and was given the option to tap Send via Satellite. What I didn't realize at the time was that the connection dropped as I was typing the text. On further research, I discovered that an active third-party satellite connection shows "SAT" in the menu bar. When SAT is replaced by a black satellite icon, it means T-Satellite is no longer connected, but that Apple's satellite option is available; I thought it meant that I was still connected. At one point, I was unable to text my friend who was also using satellite access, even though it appeared to be connected (see the satellite icon in the menu bar). (The red button in the Dynamic Island shows that the screen is being recorded.) Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Look up, and ahead Will satellite services cover the remaining dead zones and allow easy communication even in remote areas? Based on my experience, the potential is definitely there. It's been less than two years since Apple first launched Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone and it's impressive how satellite connectivity has expanded so quickly with the ability to support texting. I appreciate that the T-Satellite implementation is similar to the way millions of people communicate every day via text. Removing friction is key to adopting technologies like this. As companies build up the capacity and performance of satellite services, it's easy to see a near future where you don't have to think about how you're getting data, just as we currently don't ever think about which cellular tower is relaying our data. As someone who lives in cellular-saturated Seattle, I probably won't need to rely on satellite data. But the North Cascades is where I've gone camping for years, so I can see it being occasionally useful, especially if there's ever an emergency situation. As I was juggling my phones and pestering my friends and family with texts, a couple approached to ask what I was doing. They were visiting the area from a small town in northern Idaho near the Canadian border, where cellular coverage is a rarity. After talking for a few minutes, I realized that being able to connect wirelessly via satellite could be a real boon for them, especially in emergencies, but also everyday annoyances when other forms of communication aren't available, like during power outages.
