How to get Starlink on your phone without leaving Verizon or AT&T
With Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet being rolled out among numerous mobile network operators, which means you might not need to leave your current provider to make the most of the tech.
This comes after Dan Schulman, CEO of Verizon, shared that the network is taking Starlink’s plans seriously.
During the firm’s Q3 earnings call on Monday (October 26), Schulman reportedly said: “Their service just can’t compete with a terrestrial network. In suburban and urban areas, where 98% of our revenues are, we’re somewhere between 100x-1,000x more efficient than they are.”
The network boss went on to say: “You can be sure over these next three to five years or six years, we are not going to be standing still. Four to five years from now, we will be two to three generations better than where we are today.
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“We will have high-speed broadband gig-plus coverage across the country with our millimeter wave. We are ahead of most people and already experimenting with what 6G applications will look like.”
The satellite internet service by SpaceX is working with other providers to help keep people connected in areas where traditional cell coverage is limited, with bigger ambitions for it to become its own mobile carrier to compete directly with the likes of Verizon and AT&T.
However, the firm’s current partnerships mean that some customers can already access Starlink through their mobile provider, while its plans for a dedicated mobile network are still in development.
How to get satellite service on your phone
The main way to access Starlink’s satellite-to-phone technology in the US is currently through a compatible mobile service.
T-Mobile offers T-Satellite service, which uses Starlink satellites to help connect compatible phones in areas without conventional cellular coverage.
According to Verizon, customers can already access some satellite connectivity features without switching mobile providers, although its current offering is separate from Starlink.
Instead, the company partners with satellite operator Skylo to provide satellite messaging and emergency SOS features on selected Android smartphones, allowing users to stay connected in areas where traditional cell coverage is unavailable.
AT&T has partnered with AST SpaceMobile rather than Starlink to develop a satellite-powered mobile network. The tech is designed to connect everyday smartphones directly to satellites, potentially allowing customers to make calls, send messages and access data in remote areas where traditional mobile coverage is unavailable.
Starlink is working on its own mobile service
Musk hit back at Schulman’s remarks that Starlink Mobile will take four to six years to launch.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the tech boss wrote: “Will take 2 or 3 years.” This comes as SpaceX aims to have the network ready by early 2028.
The service is expected to use next-generation satellites designed to provide significantly more capacity for mobile devices. SpaceX also intends to use terrestrial infrastructure, potentially allowing it to compete more directly with traditional wireless carriers.
According to SpaceX, Starlink Mobile will ‘deploy a flexible architecture combining our satellite-to-mobile constellation in space with an advanced terrestrial deployment that can seamlessly connect devices everywhere’.
A statement from the firm continued: “Starlink already operates the world’s most advanced broadband network from space, serving millions of customers across the United States and around the world with high-speed internet. With this new low-band spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can now become the first network operator to deploy both satellite and terrestrial spectrum. One network that provides Americans with a reliable service indoors, outdoors, in cellular dead zones, and everywhere in between.”