During the first quarter of Super Bowl LIX, T-Mobile and Starlink made a commercial announcement that hints at where the future of backcountry communication is headed.
The companies are now offering the chance to try out texting on a new satellite network for free from anywhere in the backcountry in the lower 48. That means even when you’re out of cell range you can still text back and forth with friends and family like normal — and contact emergency services, in the event of a disaster. This service uses a new satellite network from Starlink/T-Mobile that orbits closer to the earth and is specifically designed for phones. And it’s not just for T-Mobile customers, this service will also be available to AT&T and Verizon customers, so long as their phone is unlocked and they have an eSIM.
While T-Mobile says the number of openings in their Beta program is essentially unlimited, they are going to roll out the program in batches. So the sooner you sign up, the longer you’ll have to test this free trial.
Sign Up Now for T-Mobile Starlink Satellite Service
Part of what makes this announcement so exciting is that most phones purchased in the last four years can use this service — it doesn’t need to be the latest and fanciest iPhone or even have been designed to connect to a satellite network. This also means that group chats, and even reactions, will work the same as if you were in the frontcountry. You’ll also get Wireless Emergency Alerts.
Of course, all good things come to an end: July, in this case. If you are using T-Mobile’s Go5G plan, you’ll still be able to text for free. First responders using T-Priority rate plans will also get this service for free. Other T-mobile users will end up paying between $10 and $15 a month. AT&T and Verizon users will need to pay $20 a month to continue using the service.
Conversely, Apple is providing free satellite messaging over the Globalstar network for two years from when you activate service on your phone. For context, the Garmin and Zoleo plans with unlimited texting cost $50.
Now what does this mean for OL readers? We know many of you recreate in serious, remote terrain, sometimes for days at a time. For now, keep your Garmin and your Zoleo subscriptions active. As we found in our test of the iPhone satellite messaging service, not all low earth orbit satellite networks are created equal. The one we trust with our lives (and SOS buttons) is the Iridium network, used by Garmin, Zoleo, and ACR. We will run a test similar to what we did for the best satellite messengers in the near future and report back on the performance of the Starlink/T-Mobile network compared to this best-in-class network.
But being able to text straight from your phone, just like usual, is going to be a gamechanger for potentially millions of people. You should absolutely sign up for this as a backup. And, more importantly, encourage anyone in your life who doesn’t already carry a satellite messenger on their day hikes or backcountry adventures, to download it. They’ll appreciate being able to text you like normal, and it could save their life.
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