T-Mobile, SpaceX to Launch Direct-to-Device Service in July
The satellite company is angling for spectrum sought after by the 5G carriers.

The satellite company is angling for spectrum sought after by the 5G carriers.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2025 – T-Mobile announced with a Super Bowl commercial that its satellite texting service with SpaceX will launch in July. That service is provided on T-Mobile’s spectrum, but the satellite company is angling for some more spectrum of its own.
The service will allow customers to send and receive texts in areas not reached by T-Mobile’s terrestrial mobile network. It will also eventually be made available to non-T-Mobile customers for $20 per month. A beta is available for free until the commercial plans roll out.
AT&T and Verizon have similar deals with AST, but the services have been slower to get off the ground.
Permitting delays, transmission backlogs, siting fights, and supply chain gaps top the list.
The agency is investigating the company, along with Comcast and Verizon, over diversity practices.
Outdated permitting systems could stymie nuclear projects needed for tomorrow’s data centers, panelists said.
Latency experienced by users is dependent in part on their distance from internet exchange points.