Musk Changes Everything for Satellite Cell Phone Service

[Glenn MacGrady]

"Elon Musk’s Starlink has done it again—redefining the way we communicate on Earth! With a revolutionary new feature called Direct-to-Cell, Starlink promises to make smartphone calls from anywhere on the planet a reality. Forget cell towers or specialized hardware—this service is set to work on any LTE-compatible smartphone, putting the entire world within your reach."

Elon Musk Just Changed Everything: Starlink Lets iPhones and Androids Call Anywhere on Earth—No Towers Needed

What if your smartphone could make calls from the middle of the ocean or deep in the jungle? Elon Musk's Starlink has unveiled a groundbreaking feature that promises to change how we stay connected.

dailygalaxy.com

 

[Gamma1214]

Hmm... that kinda sucks. I mean, sure, I carry an inReach so I'm not completely disconnected from the outside world but being disconnected from cell / internet service is one of the best parts of remote wilderness trips. There is so much noise in our daily lives and it's really wonderful to escape for all of it once in awhile.

At least it appears that it's going to be subscription based. The telemarketers won't be able to get through if I don't sign up for Starlink service.

 

[billconner]

Or don't turn it on.

 

[tketcham]

...I carry an inReach so I'm not completely disconnected from the outside world...

I purchased an inReach device for solo canoe tripping and tested it out on a couple day trips in October. It worked great. But I don't sync it with a cell phone so don't need to have one with me. Other than canned check-in messages, I remain disconnected.

 

[Blukanu]

Airplane mode…since my phone is a gps and camera.

All this does is threaten to make current sat phones and in-reach/zoleo devices obsolete.

 

[recped]

Elon put out a very similar teaser quite a few years ago. While he has made good amount of progress there is still a very long way to go. For this to function "everywhere" he will need to launch another 30,000+ satellites (just shy of 7,000 are up now).

In the meantime Elon is out hyping Starlink, sure to lead to massive Government contracts for Starlink and an expected spin off IPO. This could probably put another 100 Billion or more in his paper pocket......pretty sure he won't be happy until he gets to 1 Trillion in personal (paper) wealth.

They will be testing this D2D (Direct 2 Device) system in the Ukraine but probably not until near the end of this year.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

For this to function "everywhere" he will need to launch another 30,000+ satellites (just shy of 7,000 are up now).

I'm not sure any satellite-using PLB or other communication device can actually reach everywhere, but I don't really follow the technology. Do the currently available devices require 37,000+ satellites to function effectively for wilderness canoe tripping in North America? Europe?

 

[recped]

As of early in 2024 the band of service is fairly narrow, almost all of the lower 48 is covered, the southerly parts of Canada have some coverage. Outside of that it's sketchy and were it is available the speeds are much slower, I'm not sure that voice communication is even possible in those areas at this time.

Another consideration is that much of the 7,000 are first generation, a portion is 2nd Gen but for the D2D to really work it will require the 3rd generation satellites that are just starting to be launched.

Elon's satellites operate in a fixed orbit at relatively low heights, the low helps make his plans possible but it also limits the area of coverage so you need lots of them.

There are plenty of concerns about the amount of traffic "up there", 10 years from now there will likely be several hundred thousand of these devices orbiting the earth, China, India and many others are launching as fast as they can, expect collisions to happen in spite of the vastness.

These communication methods are great but the coverage will be similar to the Cell Network, it will be functional where there are enough users to generate the required revenue, for low/no density areas (like the wilderness areas of Canada) will be waiting a long time.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

the southerly parts of Canada have some coverage. Outside of that it's sketchy and were it is available the speeds are much slower, I'm not sure that voice communication is even possible in those areas at this time.

for low/no density areas (like the wilderness areas of Canada) will be waiting a long time.

I recall a guy dying on Mt. Everest in 1996 talking to his wife in New Zealand by sat phone.

AS LIFE SLIPS AWAY, CLIMBER TALKS CALMLY WITH HIS WIFE

Trapped by a blizzard near the summit of Mount Everest, mountain guide Rob Hall stoically accepted his fate when he learned by radio that rescuers would not be able to reach him. He then called his pregnant wife in New Zealand and told her ``not to worry about him too much,'' reassuring her...

www.deseret.com

If sat phones could connect New Zealand to Nepal/Tibet 40 years ago, surely we should be able to provide satellite voice phone service to northern Canada by now. Haven't some of our Barren Lands trippers such as @PaddlingPitt taken sat phones? Or is there some technical difference between current sat phones and Musk's Starlink-to-cell service, such as satellite altitude, that would limit the latter's geographic voice service?

I find all this quite interesting and literally marvel-ous. For the first 15 years of my life we didn't even have a land line telephone in Maine.

 

[memaquay]

I have routinely used sat phones in Nortbern Ontario, but that's a different concept from regular cell phones. It is strange though that the GPS on my phone on the basecamp app works everywhere I have tried it.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Some quick research yields that many satellite phones use the L band frequencies. As to satellites, many phones use the low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems of Iridium, which provides wordwide coverage with 66 LEO satellites, or Globalstar, which provides service everywhere except polar regions with 48 LEO satellites.

Satellite Networks Comparison | Bluecosmo

Discover the key features of the satellite network on which your satellite device will run, which is essential when selecting the best Satellite device for your needs.

www.bluecosmo.com

New model iPhones, which currently have limited (but expanding) sat communication abilities, currently use the Globalstar network of satellites and Apple is buying 20% of Globalstar.

Google Pixel 9 cell phones have begun satellite communication using Skylo's sytem of eight rented geocentric orbit satellites owned by other companies.

The following Musk Starlink site says that "Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities enable ubiquitous access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal waters, and that "Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data." It also says that Starlink satellites with a special modem on board will first have to be "launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and then Starship. On orbit the satellites will immediately connect over laser backhaul to the Starlink constellation to provide global connectivity." This implies to me that none of the current Starlink satellites can be used for the planned Direct to Cell service.

Starlink Business | Direct To Cell

Seamless access to text, voice, and data for LTE phones across the globe. The Starlink Direct to Cell launch campaign is underway.

www.starlink.com

 

[Keeled Over]

I'm not sure any satellite-using PLB or other communication device can actually reach everywhere, but I don't really follow the technology. Do the currently available devices require 37,000+ satellites to function effectively for wilderness canoe tripping in North America? Europe?

I hate just about every piece of computer equipment ever made (except medical stuff) and I know practically nothing about how they work, but driving across NA up to the Thelon my inReach worked flawlessly. I only recall one instance where my message failed to send and that was in Wabakimi. It might tale a few mins but I would guess only 10 mins or so max to sync up. Just needed a clear view to the sky - and didn't even always need that.