I signed up for the free T-Mobile beta that connects your smartphone directly to a SpaceX Starlink satellite—no dish required. It’s a glimpse into what satellite-to-phone communication might look like in the near future, although it’s still limited in what it can actually do right now. You can learn more in my latest video.
The beta is available at no cost, and you don’t need to switch your carrier to try it. In my case, it added an eSIM to my iPhone while keeping my Verizon service intact. After 90 days, it auto-enrolls you in a paid plan, so keep that in mind if you’re a tire kicker like me. Only certain phones are compatible, including the iPhone 13 and newer, Google Pixel 9, along with several Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Razr models.
The satellite signal will only activate if you’re in a complete T-Mobile dead zone. You can’t manually switch to satellite if there’s even a faint tower signal nearby. That was a bit of a letdown, since I was hoping for more flexibility in testing.
There is a good dead zone near the small airport where I take flight lessons. When I parked in the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, my phone picked up the satellite signal—weak, but functional. Interestingly, the signal worked better inside my car, likely because of the glass roof. As soon as I stepped out, my phone found a ground tower and switched over.
Once connected, my phone displayed “T-Mobile SAT” vs. the LTE or 5G icon I normally see. I received a welcome text confirming I was on satellite and reminding me I could only send and receive text messages.
I tested it by sending a message to my wife, who got it without issue and responded back. The message showed “delivered” almost immediately, which made the experience feel just like using a traditional tower, at least in terms of texting.
That’s really the extent of it. It only supports SMS and iMessage at the moment—no images, no videos, no calls, and no other data activities. T-Mobile says more is coming, but for now, it’s strictly for texts.
I was hoping for a bit more functionality out of the beta—maybe some light data usage or app access—but the reality is that we’re not quite there yet. More direct-to-cell capable Starlink satellites are slowly being added, and once the newer models are in place, T-Mobile’s satellite service will likely grow into something much more usable.
I also looked into Apple’s Emergency SOS feature on the iPhone, which is similar but a bit more involved. You need to manually aim your phone at a satellite and recipients have to opt-in to reply via satellite. Apple’s system is currently free for two years after purchase, though there’s no word yet on what happens after that.
Over the past week, I’ve been running both T-Mobile and Verizon connections on my iPhone to compare network performance since my phone now has T-Mobile’s 5G service. At home, both are mediocre, though T-Mobile edged out Verizon in downstream speed. But in better-served areas, T-Mobile showed a stronger upload rate.
I hope additional satellite functionality gets enabled prior to my 90 day trial expiring. If more features are added before then I will definitely post a followup.