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In August of last year, SpaceX announced a partnership with T-Mobile to provide mobile services directly through the second generation of Starlink satellites. Now, just over six months later, SpaceX is already preparing to enter the next phase.
During a panel discussion at the 2023 Satellite Conference and Exhibition, SpaceX Starlink Vice President of Business Jonathan Hofeller announced that the company will begin testing satellite mobile services "this year." Hofeller also stated that Starlink will begin collaborating with telecommunications companies, although he did not name any specific partners. However, given the previous announcement with T-Mobile, it's not surprising that they would be involved in the testing process.
The first batch of "V2 Mini" Starlink satellites, capable of serving as mobile base stations, was launched on February 28th, and is expected to "eliminate dead spots around the world." T-Mobile stated that this will fill gaps in their service, especially in areas such as national parks, mountainous regions, and deserts that are difficult to cover with traditional networks. However, Musk's original vision for V2 was a much larger satellite that was 7 meters long and had a 5m x 5m antenna. This "full version" of the satellite will have to wait until the Starship is operational before it can be launched. Therefore, the current V2 Mini version is likely a placeholder.
Regardless, panel participants seem optimistic about the future of satellite mobile services. Lynk Global CEO Charles Milller believes that this could become "the largest category of satellite services," while Iridium CEO Matt Desch believes that it could provide internet access anywhere, especially for vehicles that require constant connectivity outside of the range of traditional networks.