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T-Mobile’s Super Bowl commercial highlights its partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network.
Forget the ground game. T-Mobile is using Super Bowl LIX to kick off a new kind of air attack on wireless dead zones across the U.S.
In a commercial that aired during the first quarter of today’s game, the Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier touted the beta availability of T-Mobile Starlink, a collaboration between T-Mobile and SpaceX on satellite direct-to-cell service.
The service, which is free until July, promises to cover more than 500,000 square miles of the country that are not reached by any carrier’s earthbound cell towers. And it’ll be available on most recently manufactured smartphones — not only for T-Mobile customers, but also for wireless subscribers who get their service through T-Mobile’s competitors, including Verizon and AT&T. Further information about registration for the beta test is available via T-Mobile’s website.
PREVIOUSLY: SpaceX launches the first set of Starlink satellites for T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell plan
The initial service allows for text messages only, including wireless emergency alerts. Picture messages, data and voice calls are planned for later.
“T-Mobile Starlink is the first and only space-based mobile network in the U.S. that automatically connects to your phone so you can be connected even when no cellular network reaches. It’s a massive technical achievement and an absolute game changer for ALL wireless users,” T-Mobile President and CEO Mike Sievert said in a statement.
SpaceX and T-Mobile announced their collaboration on satellite direct-to-cell service two and a half years ago, but the project required SpaceX to send up a set of next-generation Starlink V2 satellites. Those satellites — which are built at SpaceX’s facility in Redmond, Wash. — are now in the midst of being deployed. Hundreds of them are already in low-Earth orbit.
The partnership is one of several efforts to merge the realms of satellite telecom service and cellular service. The most recent models of Apple’s iPhone already offer emergency texting service via satellite. Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite effort is partnering with Verizon and other telecom companies for hybrid connectivity. AST SpaceMobile (which has AT&T and Verizon as partners) and Lynk Global are among other players in the market.
Last month, T-Mobile temporarily opened direct-to-cellular emergency texting over Starlink in areas affected by the catastrophic wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The company previously allowed the service in areas that were hard-hit by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
