SpaceX launches assault on US mobile market with Starlink

Elon Musk’s company is taking a new step in the development of satellite communications. According to the Financial Times, SpaceX has begun actively promoting the Starlink mobile service among ordinary American users, hoping to turn the satellite network not only into a source of home Internet, but also into a full-fledged alternative to traditional cellular communications.

SpaceX intends to significantly expand the audience of the Starlink satellite service, focusing on the US mobile communications market, writes xrust. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the company's plans. If previously Starlink satellite Internet was associated primarily with remote areas, ships, airplanes and travelers, now the focus is on millions of owners of ordinary smartphones.

According to the publication, SpaceX has begun large-scale promotion of the new mobile direction Starlink. The company hopes to convince Americans that satellite communications can become a viable addition to traditional mobile networks, especially where base station coverage is lacking.

From satellite Internet to mobile communications

class=»notranslate»>__GTAG13__The Starlink project emerged as a global satellite broadband Internet access system. Over the course of several years, SpaceX launched thousands of low-orbit satellites into orbit, creating the largest such constellation in the world. Today the service operates in more than a hundred countries and is used by both private users and government agencies, businesses, airlines and maritime carriers.

The next stage of development was the Direct-to-Cell technology. Unlike classic Starlink, which requires a special satellite dish, the new system allows the smartphone to connect directly to satellites. To do this, you do not need to buy a separate terminal—a compatible mobile phone is enough.

It is this service that SpaceX now intends to make widespread.

How Direct-to-Cell works

In a normal situation, the smartphone communicates with the nearest operator base station. If there are no towers nearby — for example, in the mountains, desert, forest or during a sea voyage — the connection is lost.

Direct-to-Cell uses Starlink satellites as a kind of “sky base stations”. They receive the signal directly from the phone and transmit it to the terrestrial network.

At the first stage, the technology provides the transmission of SMS and emergency messages. In the future, it is planned to fully support voice communications and mobile Internet. As the satellite constellation increases and equipment improves, the speed and capabilities of the service will increase.

Why is this important for SpaceX

According to the Financial Times, the company expects to go far beyond the traditional satellite Internet market. Home Starlink remains in demand primarily in areas where there is no high-quality wired infrastructure. However, the number of potential smartphone users is many times larger.

If the technology becomes widespread, SpaceX will be able to offer an additional service to almost every mobile phone owner. This opens up a new multi-billion dollar market for the company.

To promote the service, SpaceX is actively collaborating with the American operator T-Mobile. Companies are already testing technology that allows smartphones to automatically connect to satellites when there is no terrestrial network signal.

Competition is reaching a new level

Starlink's entry into the mobile communications segment means increased competition not only among satellite operators, but also among traditional telecommunications companies.

Today, the American market is controlled by the largest operators Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, which have spent decades investing billions of dollars in the construction of terrestrial infrastructure. Satellite communications offers a different approach: to provide coverage where installing towers is economically unprofitable or technically impossible.

At the same time, other companies are developing similar technologies. Among the most notable competitors is AST SpaceMobile, which is also working on directly connecting smartphones to satellites, and Lynk Global is already testing similar solutions with mobile operators in different countries. In the future, the Amazon Kuiper project may also develop its own satellite services.

Thus, the struggle is gradually shifting from the home satellite Internet market to the creation of a new generation global mobile network.

What does this mean for users

The main advantage of the new technology is the ability to stay in touch almost anywhere on the planet.

For most residents of large cities, satellite communications are unlikely to replace familiar mobile networks: data transfer speeds through modern 5G networks remain significantly higher. However, for travelers, tourists, sailors, pilots, rescue workers and residents of remote areas, the ability to automatically connect to a satellite can be extremely useful.

In addition, the technology can increase the reliability of communications during natural disasters, when ground infrastructure is damaged or overloaded.

What about in Russia?

As of today, the Starlink service is not officially available in Russia. However, the development of Direct-to-Cell technology is also of interest to the Russian market, as it shows what the next stage in the evolution of mobile communications could be.

Experts expect that satellite networks will become increasingly integrated with traditional mobile operators in the coming years. Most likely, in the future, smartphones will be able to automatically switch between the terrestrial network and satellites without requiring any additional action from the user.

If SpaceX's plans come to fruition, Elon Musk's company could change the way mobile communications should work. After the revolution in the satellite Internet market, Starlink now claims to be one of the key players in the global mobile industry.

In the news https://www.reuters.com

Xrust SpaceX launches attack on the US mobile market with Starlink