T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink say your 5G phone will connect to satellites next year

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile says it’s getting rid of mobile dead zones thanks to a new partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, at an event hosted by T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and Elon Musk. According to Musk, second-generation Starlink satellites launching next year will be able to broadcast service using part of T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G spectrum. The company says it’ll let you text, send MMS messages, and even use “messaging apps” whenever you have a clear view of the sky, even if there’s no traditional service available. “If there aren’t too many people in the cell zone, you may potentially even have a little bit of video,” said Musk. The service will launch in beta next year, and Sievert says he hopes it will someday include data. He says... Continue reading…