T-Mobile US launches Starlink D2D public beta

T-Mobile US and SpaceX have launched a long-awaited public beta test of their direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service using Starlink satellites.

The service is available to all mobile users, including subscribers of rivals AT&T and Verizon.

AT&T and Verizon customers can participate in the test without switching their mobile plans. However, a T-Mobile representative told Mobile World Live (MWL) that non-T-Mobile users need eSIM-capable and unlocked phones to access the service.

“They will technically be assigned a T-Mobile number, but that’s just to provision the device to access the constellation. And then the second eSIM can connect whenever the user loses coverage,” the representative explained.

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert called the service a “massive technical achievement and absolute game changer for all wireless users.” The beta test covers 500,000 square miles across the US, focusing on remote and rural areas lacking traditional network coverage. The initial offering supports SMS messaging, with data, voice, and picture messaging to follow.

Messages are sent and received like on traditional networks, and T-Mobile noted the service works on most smartphones from the past four years, without limitations to specific models or operating systems.

The beta service is free until July 2025. Afterward, it will be included at no additional cost for subscribers of T-Mobile’s Go5G Next plan or available for $15 per month for other T-Mobile customers without premium plans. Business customers on the Go5G Business Next plan and first responder agencies on T-Priority subscriptions will also receive the service for free.

AT&T and Verizon users can access the service for $20 per month, according to T-Mobile.

T-Mobile and SpaceX plan to enable Wireless Emergency Alerts across the US for users with compatible devices. The service, similar to a D2D SOS messaging service by Skylo Technologies and Verizon, automatically connects to a satellite when a user is out of range of a cell tower.

Starlink currently has about 7,000 satellites in orbit, according to Space.com.

While the beta test had been running for several weeks, T-Mobile and SpaceX made a high-profile announcement with a 60-second advertisement during the National Football League’s Super Bowl. CNBC reported on February 7 that such ads can cost up to $8 million.

The companies initially announced the service in August 2022, but delays followed due to the need for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.

Tim Farrar, an analyst with TMF Associates, told MWL that the test with T-Mobile “continues SpaceX’s aggressive moves to undermine the business case for competing satellite projects.” He suggested that Elon Musk’s SpaceX might be aiming to preempt Apple’s anticipated D2D satellite constellation.

Musk revealed in 2024 that Starlink had been committed exclusively to T-Mobile in the US for a year, after which the D2D service would open to other operators.

Apple has since partnered with T-Mobile and SpaceX to integrate Starlink’s D2D service into iPhones following a recent iOS software update.