SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service, plans to provide free emergency services access for cellphones worldwide.
This development comes as SpaceX and T-Mobile seek Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the communications regulator,approval for their direct-to-cellular Starlink technology.
“SpaceX Starlink will provide emergency services access for mobile phones for people in distress for free,” Musk stated on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “This applies worldwide, subject to approval by country governments. Can’t have a situation where someone dies because they forgot or were unable to pay for it.”
The FCC confirmed to Newsweek that the technology’s deployment is contingent on regulatory approval. The regulator pointed to an earlier statement from chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who said combining satellite and wireless communications is a major step towards its goal of what it calls the Single Network Future.
Rosenworcel said the FCC has created a framework allowing satellite operators to partner with terrestrial …