T-Mobile and SpaceX enable satellite text messaging for Los Angeles fires
As fires continue to ravage the Los Angeles area, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced Thursday night that they will turn on Starlink coverage for those in need.
“Today, T-Mobile and Starlink opened T-Mobile Starlink Direct-to-Cellular service in affected areas of Southern California to provide wireless emergency alerts and text messages, with support for 911 text messages,” the wireless carrier said. “While SpaceX’s direct-to-cell constellation is not yet fully deployed, but we are once again making this early beta available to those who need it most.”
The operator said its network “remains strong” and it has also “restored around half of its sites affected by commercial outages”.
“As safety conditions permit, our teams are assessing impacted locations in Altadena, Duarte, Calabasas, Malibu, Fillmore and Agoura Hills and continue to deploy portable Generators and refueling until commercial power is restored.
The Los Angeles fire is the latest deployment of new satellite capabilities designed to keep users connected during natural disasters. The company activated the service last year in response to hurricanes Milton and Helen.
Like Hurricane, text messaging via satellite will be limited to T-Mobile customers with a “supported phone.” However, wireless emergency alerts and evacuation notices can be sent via satellite to anyone in the affected area, regardless of their wireless carrier.
Again, it’s worth noting that this is SMS, or traditional text messaging, done through your phone’s regular messaging app. It doesn’t work with internet-based messaging services or apps like iMessage, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. T-Mobile told CNET that supported devices include “most” Android phones and iPhones earlier than the iPhone 14 series.
Thanks to Apple’s partnership with satellite company Globalstar, Apple users with an iPhone 14 (or later) running iOS 18 can also send iMessages via satellite in areas without signal coverage, regardless of carrier. T-Mobile said customers using these iPhones will use Apple’s satellite service instead of SpaceX’s Starlink.
While it used the service on an emergency basis, the service was deployed in Los Angeles shortly after T-Mobile and SpaceX announced they would begin beta testing the service this year and open enrollment.
Look at this: Apple vs. Google: Satellite emergency features compared
