The two companies are working together to help T-mobile bring wireless service to the United States.
T-mobile正在寻求SpaceX的天空卫星，以帮助提高其网络覆盖率。周四，两家公司宣布将共同努力“将手机连接带到任何地方”，包括提供“美国大部分地区的全面覆盖”。
该合作伙伴关系旨在利用SpaceX的低地球轨道卫星机队来传输T-Mobile用户可用的连接。尽管SpaceX已经通过其Starlink计划在全球范围内提供家庭互联网服务，但t-Mobile用户应该能够通过“新网络，使用T-Mobile的全国中频频谱从Starlink卫星广播”连接到SpaceX的卫星。
While the company did not provide specific information on where the network would appear, T-Mobile said it should offer“Almost complete coverage of anywhere customers can see the sky.” The companies envisage this service as an alternative to using satellite phones in remote areas such as national parks or mountains.
With the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink V 2 satellite, the carrier will begin offering services through a SpaceX beta that will be available“In a specific location by the end of next year”. Once operational, the network should cover the continental United States as well as Hawaii, “Parts of Alaska,” Puerto Rico and“Territorial waters.”.
It is not clear if the network will have a special designation on the user’s device. The carrier told CNET that the initial launch would not broadcast 5G signals and that it would share more details“In the future.”.
Because the new network will be broadcast over T-Mobile’s if spectrum, the wireless operator said that“The vast majority of smartphones” already on its network would be compatible with the new service, you Don’t have to buy a new phone to get a signal.
The cellular network will be unique to T-Mobile customers and will be available on future SpaceX satellites along with SpaceX’s Starlink Broadband Initiative.
“We always think differently about what it means to keep our customers connected, which is why we work with the best companies,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Cyphert said in a statement, provides any coverage that the customer has previously seen.
Although the two companies offer similar but competing services, especially for those looking for connections in rural areas, the announcement is not a collaboration on home broadband. For its part, the wireless operator said it was “Always open to advancing our mission of providing reliable broadband to more households”, CYPHERT said at the event, he is open to using SpaceX to help provide return service to T-Mobile’s ground base stations in the future.
As for pricing, Sievert said it plans to include it in carriers’ “Most popular plans,” although older or cheaper plans may require a monthly fee for the feature.
T-Mobile’s partnership with SpaceX is the latest collaboration between traditional mobile operators and satellite providers to improve coverage. Last year, Verizon announced it would partner with Amazon’s Kuiper program, a competitor to SpaceX and its Starlink program, to enhance its 4G LTE and 5G coverage.
Verizon told CNET that the goal of the partnership, which is not exclusive, is to“Turn the entire map of the United States red,” referring to Verizon’s brand color and its coverage of the map, where red indicates that you can find the area of its wireless network for service. However, neither company offered a timeline for when the service would be available, and a Verizon spokesman told CNET last year that the project“Is still a few years away.”.
At & T has also been looking for satellites to improve its coverage, including a deal last year with OneWeb, a satellite company, to provide connectivity to the wireless carrier’s commercial customers, although it has not yet announced plans to serve consumers.
