T-Mobile US and SpaceX unveiled a long-awaited public beta test of their direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service using Starlink birds, making it available to all, including customers of rivals AT&T and Verizon.

AT&T and Verizon subscribers are not required to switch their mobile plans to T-Mobile to test the service.

However, a T-Mobile representative told Mobile World Live (MWL) Verizon and AT&T customers will 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.”

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert stated the service is a “massive technical achievement and absolute game changer for all wireless users”.

The test covers 500,000 square miles across the US in remote or rural areas which lack coverage. It offers SMS, with data, voice and picture messaging to follow.

Messages are sent and received the same way as a traditional network.

T-Mobile noted the service works on most smartphones from the past four years and is “not limited to a few smartphones or operating systems”.

It explained the beta service is free until July, at which point it will be included at no additional cost for subscribers of its Go5G Next plan, or $15 per month for each line for customers without premium plans.

Business customers on the Go 5G Business Next plan will also get the service for free, as will first responder agencies on T-Priority subscriptions.

AT&T and Verizon users will pay $20 per month, according to T-Mobile’s representative.

T-Mobile and SpaceX will also enable Wireless Emergency Alerts across the US when users come within range and have a compatible device.

Similar to a D2D SOS messaging service by Skylo Technologies and Verizon launched on Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 smartphones, the T-Mobile offering automatically connects to a satellite when a user is out of range of a cell tower.

Space.com reports Starlink has about 7,000 birds in orbit.

While the beta test has been underway for several weeks, the companies made a splashy announcement in a 60-second advert during the National Football League’s Super Bowl.

CNBC reported on 7 February such adverts can cost up to $8 million.

T-Mobile and SpaceX announced the service in August 2022, but delays followed as the Federal Communications Commission needed to grant Starlink conditional approval.

Competition
TMF Associates analyst Tim Farrar told MWL the test with T-Mobile “continues SpaceX’s aggressive moves to undermine the business case for competing satellite projects”.

He noted Elon Musk-owned SpaceX may be seeking to “front run whatever Apple has planned for its new D2D constellation”.

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

Apple teamed with T-Mobile US and SpaceX to add support for Starlink’s D2D offering on its iPhones after a recent iOS software update.