New Era in Networking: Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and T-Mobile will provide coverage from satellites
Drew
CEO and President Mike Sievert and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk announced Coverage Above and Beyond: a breakthrough new plan to bring cell phone connectivity everywhere.
The Un-carrier plans to provide a complete coverage in most places in the U.S. – even in most remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell signals.
Today, even with the powerful LTE and 5G wireless networks, well over half a million square miles of the U.S. in addition to wide stretches of ocean are untouched by cell signals … from ANY provider. And for anyone who has ever encountered a mobile dead zone knows, the wireless industry has struggled to cover these areas with traditional terrestrial cellular technology.
SpaceX and T-Mobile share a vision where these uncovered areas are a relic of the past, and today, the companies are taking the first step to make that vision a reality.
THE SPACEX
From persistent neighborhood dead zone or even the middle of Death Valley to the Great Smoky Mountains, T-Mobile and SpaceX have the vision to give customers an important additional layer of connectivity in places previously difficult to be reached by cell signals from any provider. And the service intends to work with the phone already in your pocket. The great size of smartphones already on T-Mobile’s network will be compatible with the new service using the device’s existing radio. No extra equipment to buy. It works just fine.
Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile said, “We’ve always thought differently about what it means to keep customers connected, and that’s why we’re working with the best to deliver coverage above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before.”
SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk also said, “The important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone."
“We’re incredibly excited to do this with T-Mobile.”
