Space Cell Phones? Elon Musk's SpaceX Is Teaming With A Wireless Carrier On Earth

SpaceX, Elon Musk's space exploration company, and Mike Sievert, the CEO of T-Mobile Us Inc TMUS, have plans to improve communication, SpaceX said earlier today.

A live broadcast will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST. While we don't know much about the announcement, the Tesla Inc TSLA CEO is hyping it on Twitter Inc. TWTR

This is something special https://t.co/LSMIRYT8zf

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2022

One major advantage SpaceX's satellite internet constellation, Starlink, has over T-Mobile is that it is not reliant on any ground-based infrastructure. This makes it possible for Starlink to offer internet connectivity in disaster-affected areas.

Read more: Ukraine Says Elon Musk's Starlink Providing 'Crucial Support,' Serving 150,000 Users Per Day

Musk demonstrated this in March by deploying thousands of Starlink units in Ukraine soon after the Russian incursion to reestablish internet connectivity in the conflict's hardest-hit areas. The SpaceX and T-Mobile agreement may improve service in underserved rural areas of the U.S.

If the deal does involve some kind of space-based internet offering, it wouldn’t be the first. AST SpaceMobile Inc ASTS is a space-based cellular broadband network accessible by standard smartphones. SpaceMobile provides connectivity at 4G/5G speeds everywhere on the planet.

The live stream link to the broadcast can be found here.

Photo: Supamotion via Shutterstock