Starlink’s first direct-to-phone satellite network is now in orbit

SpaceX has launched 20 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit, providing direct mobile phone connections to users anywhere on the planet. Following the launch of the first six satellites for testing in January, the constellation’s first orbital shell is complete.

These satellites are Launched on a Falcon 9 rocket They were launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10 pm ET on December 5; they were then deployed in low Earth orbit. Founder of SpaceX Elon Musk pointed out on X The work will “enable unmodified mobile phones to connect to the Internet in remote areas.” He added a caveat to the first orbital shell – “The bandwidth of each beam is only about 10 Mb, but future constellations will be much more powerful.”

This is consistent with Musk’s view A statement about the strength of Starlink service was made as early as January. He noted: “While this is a good solution for areas without cellular connectivity, it is not very competitive with existing terrestrial cellular networks.” However, the current 10 Mb frequency The bandwidth is higher than the 7 Mb bandwidth managed by the test satellite at the beginning of the year.

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In fact, you’ll currently only get text messaging through the end of 2024; voice and data will be available sometime next year, as will support for IoT devices such as smart home gadgets. The company has not disclosed how much its services will cost. One vaguely related reference worth considering is Starlink’s roaming broadband service, which works with a receiver installed in a car or RV: for subscribers in the US, it costs $50 per month, capped at 50 GB.

how it works

What’s important about this new business is that, unlike previous attempts to provide satellite-to-phone service, you don’t need a special phone or even a specific app to access it from anywhere in the world. Using standard LTE/4G protocols that most phones are compatible with, Starlink has partnered with mobile carriers like T-Mobile in the U.S. and Rogers in Canada and designed a system that allows its service to work with your phone when connected to satellite 340 Seamless fit.

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The SpaceX unit noted that it also developed latency limits, ideal altitude and elevation angles for satellites, and several other parameters to achieve reliable connectivity. Each satellite is equipped with an LTE modem, and the satellites plug into a massive constellation of 6,799 existing Starlink spacecraft. According to Space.com.

Connection to the larger constellation is through laser returnin which laser-based optical communication systems transmit data between satellites. This method takes advantage of laser’s advantages over traditional radio frequency communications to increase data rates Up to 100 times fasterincrease bandwidth and improve security.

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Another point for Musk

It’s another leap for SpaceX, which has many competitors in satellite communications technology. Direct Cell Plan is Originally proposed in 2022 Aiming to start service next year, but It only received U.S. regulatory approval last month.. Competitors include Lynk, which has satellites in orbit Launched in the island nation of Palau AST SpaceMobile also has commercial satellites in orbit as early as 2023 Contracts with the U.S. Government, Europe and Japan.

source: Starlink