T-Mobile to launch data service on satellite-based network in October

By Harshita Mary Varghese

(Reuters) -T-Mobile will introduce a data service on its satellite-to-cell network, powered by SpaceX's Starlink, at the start of October, the company's head of marketing, strategy and products said during a live event in Bellevue.

Over 1.8 million customers have signed up for the service since its beta program launch at the end of 2024, including "hundreds of thousands of customers from AT&T and Verizon," Mike Katz said on Monday.

T-Satellite will commercially launch on July 23, with SMS texting, MMS, picture messaging and short audio clips. On October 1, it will launch a data service to allow application experiences on the satellite network.

With over 657 Starlink satellites supporting customers with the service, the U.S. wireless carrier is looking to eliminate mobile dead zones and extend connectivity to more than 500,000 square miles in the U.S. that traditional cell towers can't reach, including those of Verizon and AT&T.

"The vast majority of signups was after we did the Super Bowl ad," Katz told Reuters in an interview.

Katz said that the satellite beta adoption has been fairly balanced between the top 100 markets and small town rural areas in the U.S.

T-Satellite will be included at no extra cost with T-Mobile's new "Experience Beyond" plan. For others — including AT&T and Verizon customers — the service will be available for $10 per month.

T-Mobile said that it anticipates satellite-enabled apps from AccuWeather, AllTrails, Apple, Google, WhatsApp and X, among many others in the future.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

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