SpaceX‘s Starlink team and T-Mobile US have activated their Direct-to-Cell coverage to provide emergency alerts for all phones and telecommunications carriers in areas affected by Hurricane Helene as well as Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton,

T-Mobile and SpaceX announced plans to start using the Starlink satellites to provide space-based coverage for T-Mobile's network back in 2022. While the service was aimed at filling in dead zones that otherwise couldn't be covered by terrestrial networks, it's quickly proving to be valuable for connecting people during national emergencies.

SpaceX has announced that it is offering satellite texting for free to T-Mobile users in Florida through Starlink. Read on to know more!

If your phone connects to a Starlink satellite instead of the usual antenna, you’ll see 1 to 2 bars of service, and the network name will be “T-Mobile SpaceX,” according to SpaceX. You might have to retry text messages if they don’t go through, and SpaceX says the service works “best outdoors” and “occasionally works indoors near a window.”

The approval allows SpaceX to use radio frequencies leased from T-Mobile to provide what's called "Supplemental Coverage from Space" beamed from Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellite constellation.

SpaceX‘s Starlink team and T-Mobile US have activated their Direct-to-Cell coverage to provide emergency alerts for all phones and telecommunications carriers in areas affected by Hurricane Helene as well as Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton,

Should T-Mobile enable SMS messaging over the next few days its service could work alongside Apple's option, but T-Mobile's satellite system would get priority for customers who h

T-Mobile is partnering with Starlink to operate its direct-to-cellular service in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches the state.