SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, is gearing up to expand the accessibility of Starlink's Direct-to-Cell service to a broader consumer base later this year. This comes about a month after the historic moment when SpaceX transmitted its first text message from space via the Direct-to-Cell satellite system.
In an announcement reported by Interesting Engineering, SpaceX revealed its plans to roll out the Direct-to-Cell service worldwide, aiming to provide comprehensive cell phone coverage across the globe.
Elon Musk himself reaffirmed this development by reposting SpaceX's message, emphasizing that the connectivity for the communication relied solely on a satellite and a mobile phone.
Ben Longmier, Senior Director of Satellite Engineering at SpaceX, shared a captivating image on X, likely captured from the location where they were testing the Direct-to-Cell satellite services to facilitate communications. The photo showcased a picturesque view of a Californian mountain range.
Longmier elaborated, stating, "This was the tree cover in a small valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains earlier in the day when we were exchanging some DMs on X." He highlighted the challenge of maintaining connectivity in areas with dense tree cover, explaining how trees can obstruct the line of sight between the satellite and the receiving device, potentially leading to signal loss or interference
