Although wireless carriers provide wide coverage in the United States, large parts of the country still do not receive cellular service. Not only can this be uncomfortable, but it can sometimes be dangerous and even deadly.
Recently, T-Mobile and SpaceX declare a partnership that could reshape the future of mobile communication. Both companies plan to offer connectivity in areas that do not currently have access to cellular satellite service. While the service is expected to launch in late 2023, it looks like Google’s Android operating system will be ready when it goes live.
Google’s senior vice president for Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, shared via Twitter that Google is “built for satellites” and the company is excited to support partners “enabling all of this in Android’s next release. ” Lockheimer, as a founding member of the Android team, also remembered the difficulties of including Wi-Fi and 3G in the T-Mobile G1, which was the very first Android consumer phone in 2008. to say that many since those days With the development of hardware and software more and more every year.
At the T-Mobile and SpaceX event, T-Mobile CEO and President Mike Seifert made an announcement to “end mobile dead zones.” T-Mobile has announced that it will partner with SpaceX to launch satellites that will enable offline communication in rural areas. The company’s “Coverage Above and Beyond” service won’t roll out until late 2023, but it will initially support access to messaging, MMS, and select messaging apps. There are plans to eventually expand the service to include voice and wireless Internet. Whether carriers or other companies will join the satellite bandwagon is uncertain, but Google’s commitment to the technology seems like a great first step for widespread adoption.
