Starlink, a SpaceX-owned satellite communications (Satcom) company, plans to bring digital connectivity to the remotest parts of the country. Elon Musk-owned satcom company requires consumers to purchase additional equipment for getting satellite internet signals and then creating a Wi-Fi network from it. However, now, Starlink is working on a technology that would eliminate the need for consumers to get that additional equipment for connecting their smartphones with the satellite internet. This will make the lives of consumers very easy as they would be able to connect with the Starlink network directly.
Starlink Second Gen Satellites to Get a Major Update
According to a Gizmochina report, SpaceX has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States (US) to equip its second-generation Starlink satellites with ‘direct-to-cellular’ hardware. The technology would enable consumers to directly connect their smartphones with the Starlink network. For the unaware, SpaceX has already launched 3500 first-generation Starlink satellites. The company has the approval from the FCC to launch another 7500 Gen 2 satellites by the end of this decade. The ‘direct-to-cellular’ technology that SpaceX intends to fit on its second-generation Starlink satellites would enable consumers to get voice, SMS and basic web browsing capabilities. SpaceX wants to eradicate no network zones in the US. The company also announced a partnership with T-Mobile to offer satellite connectivity services directly to consumers. SpaceX is not alone in its goal to offer space broadband services directly to the mobiles of consumers. However, the fact that the company already has over 3,000 satellites in space, with further plans to expand the total number to 12,000 satellites in the future, it will give tough competition to any player that steps into its territory. With the technology that SpaceX is going after, the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) won’t have to fit additional parts inside their smartphones to enable satellite connectivity.
