Musk Starlink T-Mobile direct satellite phone txt msg service to the backcountry:

[neonorchid]

Elon Musk Is Bringing Cell Service to the Backcountry… All of It

Behold, direct satellite-to-phone connectivity “anywhere you can see the sky”

www.outsideonline.com

 

[James]

Certainly something that VT could use.
The involvement of T-Mobile doesn’t give me confidence in it working well outside of a commercial.

 

[Seldomski]

Color me super skeptical on this. Getting cell signals to travel that distance is pretty crazy. Google had a hell of a time doing it with balloons, and those were only 20 miles up. At least they realize you need a 6meter antenna to have a hope of doing this.

Wake me up when they get a satellite on orbit with a successfully deployed antenna.

 

[Wilhelmson]

In the article Musk is pretty clear about the limitations. Even having enough data to send a text would save a few people. Like my old Nextel flip phone with the cellular data and browser.

 

[slow-line-fast]

Spot and Garmin already have satellite services. Not sure how this would compare. I’ve been with spot for a long time and like it, though have never tested the rescue.

 

[neonorchid]

Apple is touting new iPhone 14 Safety features:

• Emergency SOS via satellite ^7
• Crash Detection

^7 Available in November 2022. Service is included for free for two years with the activation of any iPhone 14 model. Connection and response times vary based on location, site conditions, and other factors. See apple.com/iphone-14 or apple.com/iphone-14-pro for more information.

 

[Sibhusky]

Spot and Garmin already have satellite services. Not sure how this would compare. I’ve been with spot for a long time and like it, though have never tested the rescue.

Well now you wouldn't need your Spot device or to pay that annual fee.