Starlink beta test: T-Mobile is letting Verizon and AT&T users send free text messages on Elon Musk-backed satellite network. Here’s how

T-Mobile has launched a wide-scale beta satellite-to-cell service using SpaceX’s Starlink, aimed at extending service to remote areas or “dead zones” cell towers can’t reach. The satellite messaging service will be free to use until July, even if you aren’t a T-Mobile customer (that means you, Verizon and AT&T users).

Starlink, a satellite internet service that provides high-speed broadband internet to rural areas, is owned by SpaceX CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk.

The wireless carrier made the announcement Sunday with a big ad during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. While it’s free until July for all, after that, only T-Mobile’s customers can add the plan for $15 a month; those with T-Mobile’s premium Go5G Next plan will get it for no extra cost.

T-Mobile Starlink uses satellites orbiting the Earth at over 200 miles an hour to deliver cell phone signals creating text messages to and from locations that traditional cell towers can’t reach, known as “dead zones.” In the future, users will also be able to send images, use data, and make voice calls.

“It’s a massive technical achievement and an absolute game changer for ALL wireless users,” T-Mobile president and CEO Mike Sievert said in a statement. “We’re still in the early days—I don’t want to overhype the experience during a beta test—but we’re officially putting ‘no bars’ on notice. Dead zones, your days are numbered at the Un-carrier.”

How does Starlink satellite texting work?

“If you can see the sky, you’re connected with T-Mobile. It’s that simple, ”Mike Katz, T-Mobile’s president of marketing, strategy, and products, told Fast Company.

When a cell phone is out of cell tower range, the phone automatically connects to the T-Mobile Starlink. The technology works on “most smartphones from the last four years,” including iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, and most operating systems—however, the iPhone’s latest operating software, iOS 18.3, did not add Starlink to the handset (it merely added SAT as an onscreen option instead of LTE or 5G, according to Forbes).

T-Mobile Starlink also broadcasts Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) nationwide to anyone in range of the signal and with a compatible device—which could be a game changer, enabling users to send and receive potentially life-saving messages in remote hiking areas or places impacted by severe weather and natural disasters.

How do I sign up for Starlink’s beta test?

Sign up for the satellite service beta here. It is free for everyone, but spots are limited, according to T-Mobile. Once enrolled, you may have to wait a few days before you can send text messages.

Can I also make Starlink satellite calls?

No, currently the free beta service only supports text messages including SMS, RCS, and iMessage—no satellite calls. Nor can you send your favorite video clips from last night’s Super Bowl, where the T-Mobile Starlink ad first ran, as data is not yet available.