Starlink's satellite-to-cell phone service gets a step closer

Starlink satellites are on a mission to help users make calls and send text messages in areas that are usually cell-coverage dead zones. — Photography Aleksandr Kukharskiy/Shutterstock/AFP Relaxnews

SpaceX is due to carry out its first satellite-to-cell phone tests this year. The aim is to put an end to so-called dead zones with no cell coverage, whether on land, at sea or in the air, allowing users to make calls or send text messages thanks to the firm's constellation of Starlink satellites.

It is Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX's vice-president in charge of Starlink enterprise sales, who shared the news, reports CNBC. Even if he did not specify the identity of the partner operator, it is likely to be T-Mobile, with which an agreement was already signed last summer.