In an official blog, T-Mobile announced that it had successfully tested the transmission of wireless emergency alerts (WEA) via satellite in the US for the first time. In collaboration with Starlink satellites, T-Mobile sent out emergency evacuation alerts to its users in areas that are currently unreachable by traditional cellular network grid towers. These include sparesly populated areas. among other places.
This test is part of a major collaboration between T-Mobile and SpaceX's Starlink to develop satellite-to-smartphone emergency alert technology. During the test, T-Mobile sent a hypothetical evacuation notice to one of SpaceX's direct-to-smartphone Starlink satellites, located 217 miles into space. These satellites, currently in Earth's lower orbit, function like cell towers in space.
The satellite then relayed the evacuation notice to all T-Mobile customers, effectively in an area of up to 500,000+ square miles of land. The best part about this was the emergency system took just a few seconds to deliver the evacuation message via Starlink satellites to the users on the ground.
Also, this system will work for everyone. Meaning, "even Verizon, AT&T, and other wireless provider customers will receive critical emergency alerts." The technology can be crucial in scenarios such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.
T-Mobile emphasized the importance of this wireless emergency alert system via satellite by referencing the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California. During this event, "the fire, which ultimately burned more than 150,000 acres, forced the evacuation of 52,000 people, destroyed 19,000 structures including most of the city of Paradise and, most devastatingly, took 86 lives, erupted in the rural Sierra Nevada mountains."
With over 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low-earth orbit, T-Mobile and SpaceX are building a system to blanket the US with this coverage. The company will continue to test this emergency system and tweak it until it gets ready for a commercial rollout. Meanwhile, Verizon has also partnered with Skylo to launch its own satellite messaging service, expected to launch this fall.