Starlink has made the first video call by satellite connection on the mobile. This is a technological milestone since the Internet used by the terminal has not been captured by mobile networks or fibre optics, but by direct connection via satellite. This would make it possible to make video calls in any corner of the planet, even in the most remote corners.
From space to mobile using Direct to Cell
SpaceX has posted the video call on its X account. Elon Musk’s space company, famous for its space rockets, is responsible for Starlink, a company that was born as his project. Because of this, it was SpaceX who uploaded a video of the video call on its profile.
It shows two people making a video call a few meters away, one using Starlink Internet and the other with a traditional terrestrial connection. Physical distance is not the important thing, as it was recorded a few steps away in order to be documented. The key is that the mobile phone can connect to the Internet via satellite and that it has enough speed and stability in its connection to make the call successfully.
The technology that has enabled this is called Direct to Cell. It has been jointly developed by SpaceX (Starlink) and T-Mobile, one of the most important and advanced operators on the planet. It will be made available to users, but not immediately, but, according to SpaceX in its publication, by the end of 2024. Direct to Cell will not only allow you to make video calls, but also to have a connection to your mobile phone directly from space, without the need to have coverage with traditional networks or connect to a WiFi network.
Starlink already allows you to connect to the Internet at home from space using its home antennas. In fact, it is one of the main alternatives if we need a home Internet connection but do not have fiber optics, which is ideal for the rural world. It is already established in that market, but now it wants to reach mobile, creating a new sector.
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