T-Mobile’s Satellite-To-Mobile Service Partnership With Elon Musk’s Starlink Now In Public Beta Testing: Retail Cheers ‘Massive Technical Achievement’

T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS) shares could be in the spotlight as the company announced that the satellite-based connectivity service, in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit Starlink has gone into public beta testing. 

The announcement came via the Bellevue, Washington-based company’s SuperBowl ad and also a press statement. Reports suggest T-Mobile spent $8 million on the commercial.

Calling it a breakthrough service, the T-Mobile Starlink said the service will keep people, even AT&T, Inc, (T) and Verizon, Inc. (VZ) customers, connected in over 500,000 square miles of land area in the country that are currently unreached by any carrier’s earth-bound cell towers. 

T-Mobile noted that it uses specially configured satellites with Direct-to-Cell capabilities that orbit the Earth 200+ miles up in space and travel at over 17,000 miles per hour to deliver cellphone signals. The service currently allows text messages from the mobile dead zones, with pictures, messages, data, and voice calls coming later.

Calling it a “massive technical achievement,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said, “We’re still in the early days — I don’t want to overhype the experience during a beta test — but we’re officially putting ‘no bars’ on notice. Dead zones, your days are numbered at the Un-carrier.”

The service also broadcasts Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) nationwide to anyone in the range of the signal and with a compatible device. Through this service, anyone in the range of a T-Mobile Starlink satellite can  receive critical, potentially life-saving messages directly to their phone.

During the beta period, Verizon and AT&T customers can experience the T-Mobile text messaging for free and once the service goes live, it will be available to them for $20 a month.

In a post on X, Musk called customers to register for the program with T-Mobile.

On Stocktwits, retail investors largely reacted positively, with sentiment toward T-Mobile stock staying ‘bullish’ (74/100), with the degree of optimism improving from a day ago. The message volume stayed at ‘extremely high’ levels.

A retail watcher on the platform said they would switch immediately.

T-Mobile stock has gained about 12% so far this year. It ended Friday’s session down 0.38% to $246.24.

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