Telecom

Satellite-Linked Phones Possible This Year, T-Mobile Chief Says

Mike Sievert, left, with Elon Musk at the SpaceX Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in 2022. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg
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T-Mobile US Inc. may offer space-connected mobile devices to customers this year as its partnership with SpaceX bears fruit, the carrier’s leader said Thursday.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX in early January launched the initial batch of satellites capable of offering mobile phone service. Operating like a cell tower in space, the Starlink satellites will work with users’ existing phones, rather than using specialized equipment.