Elon Musk Confirms Connectivity of Tesla Vehicles To Starlink’s Newest Satellites

Elon Musk talks in detail about Tesla's connectivity in its latest cellular-broadcasting satellites.

T-Mobile hosted an event to promote its recent partnership with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. The guest speakers at the event included the company's CEO, Elon Musk.

At the joint event of T-Mobile and SpaceX, both companies revealed that they will be introducing a direct-to-phone connection using Starlink Gen 2 satellites in the near future.

Soon after that, Musk confirmed on Twitter that the same connection would enable direct connections with Tesla vehicles.

Elon Musk on Tesla and Starlink's Connectivity

Elon Musk made the announcement that the forthcoming second-generation Starlink satellites will contain cellular antennas, allowing connections with phones from T-Mobile in the United States.

This connection will only be able to provide between two and four gigabits per cell area. However, this will be sufficient to enable T-Mobile users with standard plans to send and receive text messages and make and receive phone calls even in some of the world's most inaccessible regions.

Musk took to Twitter to provide further confirmation of the news and to clarify a few queries that users may have regarding the most recent technological developments.

The Tesla CEO stated, "Starlink V2, launching next year, will transmit direct to mobile phones, eliminating dead zones worldwide."

He added, "Note, connectivity will be 2 to 4 Mbits per cell zone, so will work great for texting & voice calls, but not high bandwidth."

This connectivity will not handle enormous amounts of data, but it is more than enough to reach out to others by phone call or send text messages. Since the satellites will use a spectrum that already exists, this implies that users of conventional mobile phones will be able to connect to the network using the new service.

A Twitter user named David Lee asked Musk if Tesla cars will soon get this feature in the future where they can directly connect to Starlink satellites for emergency calls and texts. Musk replied and said, "yes."

The Tesla Owners Silicon Valley club also asked Musk, "Will Tesla be getting this service as well with the premium connectivity ?"

That question was answered by Musk with a "yes."

According to The Verge, it is unclear at this time whether or not the client would be required to pay for Premium Connectivity in order to make use of this service if it becomes available.

T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink

Elon Musk's second-generation Starlink satellites, currently planned to launch the following year, will be capable of transmitting service using some of T-mid-band Mobile's PCS spectrum.

This technology was also made possible by their acquisition of Sprint a few years ago, which strengthened their connectivity.

Musk stated that the new satellites have enormous antennas that are between 5 and 6 meters across to allow for the brand-new connections, and that the company intends to use its upcoming Starship rocket to launch the equipment into orbit.

The Verge reports that despite the absence of traditional service available, T-Mobile says it will allow users to send text messages, MMS messages, and even use certain messaging apps whenever they have a clear view of the sky.

T-Mobile has issued a press release stating that their satellite-to-cellular service will soon be available in all areas of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the United States, parts of Alaska, and the territorial waters surrounding those three locations.