Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced the partnership at an event on Thursday evening at SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The service will launch next year and work with existing phones for free on the company’s most popular plans, rolling out in stages, Sievert said. Customers on lower-priced plans may pay an extra fee.
Musk said the service, which leverages SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, should be able to handle messages, images and possibly small video files, but warned that transmissions may take as long as half an hour early in the roll-out. Voice capabilities will come later. Musk said the satellite-based service will work even during hurricanes and natural disasters that knock out traditional cell phone towers. He said it will ultimately save the lives of people injured or stranded in remote parts of the world.