…as his SpaceX launches 26 more satellites
BY SAM OTUONYE
Billionaire Elon Musk has hinted that his internet company, Starlink, would soon be roll out its direct-to-mobile internet service across countries where it currently operates.
This came as his Satellite company, SpaceX launched 42 new satellites including 26 with direct-to-cell capabilities.
According to one of the company’s engineers, Ben Longmier, Saturday’s launch brought the number of satellites deployed under the company’s Direct-to-Cell program to 168.
To deploy the service across countries, Musk in a post on X on Saturday said the company would be working with network carriers in each of the countries it operates to roll out the service.
Recall that Nigeria became the first African country where Starlink satellite internet service was launched in January 2023. The company most recently launched in Botswana, bringing its country of operations in Africa to 15 and 105 globally.
While noting that Starlink direct-to-mobile phone Internet is currently being offered exclusively with Tmobile in the US for the first year, he said other carriers in the country would be onboarded later.
“We are starting off working with one carrier in each country, but ultimately hope to serve all carriers,” Musk said.
With the new satellites, Starlink is promising the world access to communication services anywhere in the world.
“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,” the company said in a post on its website.
“Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data,” the company added.