While Elon Musk is taking a lot of heat right now for inserting himself in American politics as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, the world's richest man is trying to get away from making a name for himself just for cutting jobs and gutting organizations.
Things aren't looking good over at Tesla thanks to a series of boycotts and an eruption of violence, but in his Starlink corner of the world, it seems Musk is actually doing some good.
Active since SpaceX first launched its satellites in 2019, Starlink's worldwide coverage plans to provide a global broadband network from the stars.
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More than just providing high-speed internet ot the world's first private space station, Starlink has just unveiled its Direct to Cell feature.
Effectively allowing you to make a call from anywhere in the world even without a traditional cell phone signal, the new feature means Starlink no longer needs specialized equipment to make satellite calls.
Thanks to Elon Musk's latest innovation, you should be able to make voice calls in supposed 'dead zones' as long as your phone has LTE ( Long Term Evolution) that's often associated with 4G technologies.
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As Starlink itself writes: "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. Direct to Cell will also connect IoT devices with common LTE standards."
Enabling Direct to Cell is as simple as checking your settings and having a compatible device, but which devices are compatible?
Making the most of technology that works within existing LTE smartphones, models from Apple, Samsung, and Google are all covered.
For those in the USA, T-Mobile has partnered with SpaceX to bring Starlink's new capabilities into its network.
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T-Mobile customers can currently send and receive text messages, with plans to roll out voice calls and data to surf the web by the end of 2025.
Only those who are on the Go5G News plan can currently make the most of this for free, but if you're on a standard T-Mobile plan, these Starlink perks can be added with a $15 per month bolt-on.
The T-Mobile site lists the following devices as compatible:
- Apple iPhone 14 and later (including Plus, Pro & Pro Max, & e)
- Google Pixel 9 (including Pro, Pro Fold, & Pro XL)
- Motorola 2024 and later (including razr, razr+, edge and g series)
- Samsung Galaxy A35, A36, A36 SE, A53, A54
- Samsung Galaxy S21 and later (including Plus, Ultra and Fan Edition)
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and later
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and later
- REVVL 7 (including Pro)
Anyone who's using Verizon or AT&T can also access the Starlink satellite service through an independent service, costing $20 a month.
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Other countries are looking to get in as soon as possible, with Australia's Telstra currently testing Starlink satellite services to power texting in remote areas.
The United Kingdom also has telecom regulator Ofcom looking into potential regulatory changes that would allow Starlink to grant access to 4G and 5G in so-called 'dead zones'.
Apple started offering Emergency SOS through Globalstar with the iPhone 14, but Starlink's Direct to Cell is already being praised as a whole new revolution. The idea that we could be able to surf the internet from the middle of the ocean is a real game-changer, although it remains to be seen whether Starlink can stick the landing and this is all it's cracked up to be.