Elon Musk has just made a major announcement on Twitter: version V2 of Starlink, his satellite internet network, will land in 2023. Via this new version, users will be able to connect directly to their smartphones. In other words, this means that it will also be possible to enjoy it from your Tesla.
Launch after launch, Starlink is developing its fleet of satellites in orbit, always with the aim of being able to provide a reliable and stable internet network all around the globe. In June 2022, the constellation of satellites has already exceeded the milestone of 2,000 devicesand on August 10, 2022, 52 additional satellites joined the ranks.
This new launch has also cost the trifle of $52 million. In parallel with these multiple launches, Starlink has diversified its activities in recent months. Since November 2021, Starlink antennas can be found on certain Supercharger stations, the aim being to offer a quality Wi-Fi connection to motorists who wait while their vehicle’s battery is being recharged.
However, Elon Musk has just made a major announcement on Twitter. In effect, the billionaire has confirmed that the V2 version of Starlink will be deployed as early as 2023. This new version will include an important new feature: users will be able to connect to the satellite internet network directly from their smartphone.
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Note, connectivity will be 2 to 4 Mbits per cell zone, so will work great for texting & voice calls, but not high bandwidth
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022
Starlink on smartphone, it will be possible from 2023
Be careful however, the boss of Tesla specifies that the speed will not exceed 4 Mb / s. In other words, this speed will be sufficient to send SMS, MMS and make calls, but not for other more demanding activities. Note that this service will be launched in collaboration with T-Mobile US, and it will first be accessible in the United States, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and US territorial waters.
“Applications range from connecting hikers in parks to rural communities, remote sensors and devices, and people and devices in emergencies, such as firefighters,” SpaceX announcement. In addition, it should be noted that Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla cars will eventually be able to connect to the Starlink networkwithout going into more detail.
To allow smartphones to connect to the Starlink network, the company plans to launch into orbit a new generation of satellites which will have a much more powerful phased array antenna (25 m2 long). According to a statement by Elon Musk, they will be the most advanced satellites in the world. “They must be picking up a very weak signal from your cell phone. This signal must travel 800 km, then be picked up by a satellite traveling at more than 27,000 km/h. The satellite must compensate for the Doppler effect associated with such rapid movement”. he explains.