T-Mobile exec shares something surprising about customers signing up for Starlink

While AT&T and Verizon appear to be getting close to launching a satellite-powered communication service for their subscribers, there is no timeline for when that might happen. T-Mobile, whose satellite program is in the beta phase, has capitalized on that by opening the service to AT&T and Verizon customers as well. It looks like its rival’s customers are more interested in satellite messaging than its own subscribers.Fierce Wireless had a chat with T-Mobile Chief Network Officer Ankur Kapoor last week before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the company and its partner SpaceX a waiver to operate Starlink satellites at a higher power.

T-Mobile‘s direct-to-cell service, which transmits signals in locations unreachable by cell towers, officially rolled out in beta in February. It’s free for all T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon customers until July, which is when a public deployment is expected.

Kapoor revealed that hundreds of thousands of customers have registered for the Starlink beta. And, surprisingly, non-T-Mobile customers accounted for half the sign-ups.

Only time will tell how many of these AT&T and Verizon customers will turn into paying customers come July. After the beta period, they will have to pay $20 per month for every line for the service.

The service will remain free for T-Mobile customers on Go5G Next, Go5G Business Next, and some other premium plans. T-Mobile customers on other plans will be charged $15/month per line, though those who registered for the beta will pay a discounted rate of $10.

For now, only messaging is supported, and there are some signs that the FCC’s relaxation of rules might accelerate the addition of voice service. Data service is also not that far off, but video support is not expected anytime soon, with Kapoor making it clear that watching a video on a non-terrestrial network is a distant reality for now.

Similarly, data service will be stripped down and low-impact. The primary focus for the company right now is messaging and voice applications.

T-Mobile also doesn’t want to create the illusion that satellites will one day replace terrestrial networks. It’s not possible, for the foreseeable future at least, given satellite connectivity’s limitations in dense urban areas.

However, since the vision right now is to eliminate dead zones and serve areas where there are no cellular signals, such as hiking spots, the limitations don’t matter.