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T-Mobile users can try Starlink-enabled phone service for free during beta

Beta registration opened today, will enable texting in dead zones in early 2025.

T-Mobile's announcement said the service using Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellites will "provid[e] coverage for the 500,000 square miles of land in the United States not covered by earth-bound cell towers." "While not yet ready for full commercial service, T-Mobile Starlink was turned on temporarily to provide a critical communication option for those without any other means to reach emergency responders and loved ones during Hurricanes Helene and Milton," the carrier said. Starlink launched its first cellular-capable satellites in January 2024 and obtained Federal Communications Commission approval to provide service to cell phones in November 2024.

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