SpaceX is working with microchip manufacturers to embed devices in phones for its upcoming Starlink satellite-to-cell service, following its US$17 billion deal to acquire wireless spectrum from EchoStar.

The company, led by Elon Musk, has already partnered with T-Mobile in the US for direct-to-device mobile service, and the EchoStar deal is expected to help SpaceX offer these services more independently.

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said at a Paris space conference that the company will begin new discussions with telecom operators about wholesaling Starlink capacity.

Shotwell said SpaceX aims to launch new satellites for this service in the next two years, and conduct mobile phone tests late next year.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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