SpaceX tests Samsung phone with 17Mbps direct satellite internet without modification

SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk said his company has tested a Samsung phone with direct-to-cell satellite technology and the phone has achieved 17Mbps of internet from space.

Starlink satellites fly around Earth and provide internet services through terminal devices for customers in remote areas where cellular services aren’t available. Its Direct to Cell satellites take this concept two steps further with mobile connectivity without an external terminal device.

To launch these services, SpaceX has partnered with top mobile service providers around the globe including T-Mobile in the U.S. Both of these companies have been collaborating in tests since last year.

SpaceX says that the direct-to-cell SMS services will launch this year and IoT as well as cellular and data services will start by 2025.

With the launch of 6 direct to cell satellites in January, the company is now checking features stability in real devices. It has recently conducted satellite-to-mobile SMS service with T-Mobile on iPhones without any modifications.

The new test on a Samsung phone hints at a major milestone in the Android ecosystem. Unlike iPhone, SpaceX tested Internet speed and connection stability which brought 17 Mbps of bitrate and 60Mb data transfer throughout the test.

Image Credit: SpaceX/X

An X social media user @theefflutz comments “That’s incredible. Fixed wireless networks need to be looking over their shoulders?”. Musk replied, “No because this is the current peak speed per beam and the beams are large, so this system is only effective where there is no existing cellular service.”

He also confirmed that this new service works in partnership with wireless providers such as T-Mobile.