The space race for your phone

T-Mobile has teamed up with Starlink to eliminate mobile dead spots in the US. Barry Collins investigates whether it could take off in the UK, too

If you’re on the T-Mobile network in America, mobile not spots could soon become a thing of the past. Well, as long as you’re outdoors, that is. T-Mobile’s tentative deal with SpaceX’s Starlink service has won approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), meaning that the vast swathes of the US landscape without any mobile signal will soon be serviced by Starlink’s satellites. And you probably won’t need a new phone to benefit, either. The concept of improving mobile connectivity from space isn’t restricted to large countries such as the US, which has huge holes in its coverage. In the UK, Ofcom is considering whether to permit similar services, even though 90% of the UK landmass is already receiving “good quality data and voice coverage”, according to the regulator. But…

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