US allows Starlink to provide cell-to-cell coverage for hurricane-hit areas By Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Sunday allowed SpaceX and Elon Musk’s T Mobile to allow Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide cellphone coverage in areas of North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene .

The FCC often grants such temporary emergency approvals during disasters to help restore wireless and Internet service in hard-hit areas and to allow for testing.

An FCC spokesman said Sunday that the agency remains “committed to assisting recovery efforts in states affected by Hurricane Helene. We are ready to do whatever it takes to restore connectivity to the hard-hit areas and save lives.”

SpaceX said the satellites “have already been activated and have begun transmitting emergency alerts to cellphones on all networks in North Carolina.” The company said it could “test basic text messaging (SMS) capabilities for most cell phones on the T-Mobile network in North Carolina.”

As of September 28, more than 74 percent of cell towers were out of service in disaster areas of North Carolina due to the devastation caused by Helene. The FCC said Sunday that that number has dropped to 17 percent as crews work to restore service.

“Although SpaceX’s direct-to-cell constellation has not been fully deployed, we felt that even this early test version in the hands of people on the ground could provide vital support as teams work to restore infrastructure and services online and to help first responders. with rescue efforts,” T Mobile said on Sunday.

The company added that “its network is almost fully restored across the affected regions, with less than 1% of network sites in specific areas where conditions are particularly difficult remaining offline.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said “the focus is on enabling emergency alerts for smartphones.”

Carr added that “it’s important to manage expectations here. Starlink does not yet have a full constellation of direct-to-cell satellites in space…. Starlink does give a shot to help address the serious need for connectivity in these areas. disaster areas.”

T Mobile said in January that SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with the first set of Starlink satellites that can transmit phone signals from space directly to smartphones. The companies announced plans to offer cell phone users access to the network in parts of the United States in August 2022. T Mobile said at the time that direct-to-cell service would begin with text messaging followed by voice and data capabilities in the coming years. .