According to Businessday on December 5, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has completed its first Starlink satellite direct-to-cell constellation, allowing remote areas to connect to the internet without the need for cellular towers.
On December 5, he shared the news on X, stating, "The first Starlink satellite direct-to-cell constellation is now complete. This will enable unmodified phones to connect to the internet in remote areas." However, he also pointed out that the bandwidth for each beam is only 10Mb, though he assured that future satellite constellations will offer stronger performance.
The completion of this satellite direct-to-cell technology fills a significant connectivity gap in remote areas. In many of these regions—such as mountains, deserts, islands, and polar zones—building ground-based communication stations has been too expensive, leading to a long-standing lack of network coverage or even signal altogether. With Starlink’s satellite direct-to-cell technology, users in these regions no longer need to rely on ground-based stations; they can connect to the satellite network using their existing LTE phones, providing them with basic communication services and greatly narrowing the global digital divide.
Additionally, the satellite direct-to-cell network can quickly provide emergency communication support in areas affected by natural disasters or conflict, where ground-based communication infrastructure is often damaged. This ensures the smooth transmission of information and the progress of rescue efforts, enhancing the stability and reliability of global communications.
Since 2024, SpaceX has accelerated the deployment of its Starlink network. From an average of one batch launched every 5.8 days in 2023, the pace has quickened to one batch every 4.1 days. Between January and November 2024, SpaceX completed 81 Starlink missions using Falcon 9 rockets, deploying 1,785 satellites, including 336 new satellites with direct-to-cell functionality.
Currently, the Starlink constellation consists of 6,764 satellites, representing over 60% of the world’s total in-orbit satellites, making it the largest satellite constellation in human history. SpaceX is also pushing forward with plans to launch thousands more satellites by the end of 2027.
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