He is the generation’s finest innovator and markets have rewarded Elon Musk, anointing him the richest man on earth. In 2021, I wrote ‘… SpaceX Starlink would in near future develop a “special phone” which would make it possible for users to connect directly to SpaceX satellites without an “intermediary” or downlink station.’ Here, many challenged the impossibility on form factor, cost, etc.
Good People, “e don happen” because Elon Musk happens to the world: “TMobile has announced that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has launched the first Starlink satellites with direct to cell capabilities…Starlink would begin offering SMS solutions in partnership with TMobile in 2024, with voice, data and IoT services to follow in 2025.” Yes, in the near future, you can get a phone hooked to Starlink sats with no need of any GSM, CDMA, etc signals. What that means is clear: you have a global phone, untethered to the national geographies and roaming cost paralysis.
Now, what needs to happen is something similar to Moore’s law to make the cost come down. Because it is electronics, that is guaranteed! Please check your telco holdings in the stock market. Shine your eyes because the kid from South Africa is hungry for more disruptions.
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SpaceX is taking a big step into a new arena: cellphones. Elon Musk’s space-exploration outfit launched a rocket with the first satellites that can bring mobile phone service to more remote areas, T-Mobile announced Wednesday. The Starlink satellites will act like cell towers, but in space; they’ll first enable text messaging, and ultimately voice and data, too. In the U.S., SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobilefor the “Direct to Cell” initiative, and in Canada, with Rogers Communications. It’s also planning to offer the service in Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Chile, Peru and Japan.
Starlink is projected to hit about $10 billion in sales this year, with Musk reportedly mulling spinning it off in a separate IPO, perhaps within months, per Bloomberg.
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