However, according to the business, there are 500,000 square miles of the US and large areas of the ocean without cellular coverage from any operator.
To expand its cell network to the most rural regions of the nation, US mobile carrier T-Mobile has teamed up with Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite project.
According to T-Mobile, its 5G network now has 315 million US customers, 225 million of whom can use its fastest "Ultra Capacity 5G" service. Later this year, and 300 million in 2023, the latter number is anticipated to rise.
Telefónica SpaceX
There are technical and financial difficulties in some places, such as deserts and mountain ranges, while land-use regulations forbid the construction of towers in national parks.
One option to keep connected in such places has been via satellite phones, but these are pricey and employ antiquated technology. Fixed connectivity can now be replaced by a new generation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that offer considerable improvements in speed, capacity, and low latency.
Customers of T-Mobile will automatically connect to SpaceX's constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites known as "Starlink" as of next year whenever they are outside the range of a terrestrial signal. Customers' first capabilities will be limited to texting and using messaging apps, but voice and data coverage will be introduced later.
The network will be compatible with existing radio technology, notably T-mid-band Mobile's spectrum, which is essential because it means that it will function with current devices.
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert stated, "We've always had a different perspective on what it means to keep customers connected, which is why we're partnering with the best to bring coverage above and beyond anything [that] customers have ever experienced before." "More than just a ground-breaking partnership, this symbolises two industry-shattering innovators pushing the conventional wisdom to produce something wholly novel."
Elon Musk, chief engineer at SpaceX, said: "The essential thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones for your [mobile] phone anywhere in the world." "We're very thrilled to work with T-Mobile on this."
In order to improve their converged networking strategy, other operators are also considering satellite. For instance, Telefonica has teamed with OneWeb, the satellite broadband company that is partially controlled by the British government (opens in new tab).
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