T-Mobile boss throws cold water on the Starlink satellite-to-phone idea

The two big reasons

When asked if companies like SpaceX eventually compete directly with T-Mobile and other cellular carriers by using satellites instead of towers, Osvaldik's answer was essentially no.

There are two big reasons for that. First, signal attenuation. As we know, a radio signal gets weaker as it travels farther. But there's also the beam capacity issue. Basically, a satellite can only serve a limited number of users with a particular beam at the same time.

That's why satellites are great for complementing cell towers (and supporting users in remote areas), but they can't realistically replace the giant network of towers that handles everyday mobile traffic. I'd add the obligatory "for now", because tomorrow everything could change if a scientific breakthrough is announced.

Why not?

It'd be an understatement to say that satellites are very far away from your phone compared with a cell tower. Even a satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO) is roughly 350 km (217 miles) or more above the planet. A cell tower, meanwhile, might be a few hundred meters or a few kilometers away.

As the radio signal travels through that enormous 217 miles distance, it becomes weaker. As the distance increases, the signal strength drops very quickly. The satellite has a difficult job, as it needs to send a usable signal from hundreds of kilometers away to a tiny antenna inside your smartphone.

More obstacles

Of course, we're not living in the open field and the signal has to deal not only with the sheer distance from the satellite to our phone (and back) but also with buildings, cars and other physical obstacles.

You know how your phone usually gets a stronger cellular signal outside a building than, say, in the elevator. Well, a satellite has to penetrate roofs, walls, windows and car bodies… and that's much harder.

There's also the capacity issue, as if a beam can only provide OK service to around 10 people at the same time, it doesn't matter that it covers millions of potential customers. You simply don't have enough capacity for them.

This is why, in its current state, the satellite-to-phone technology works much better for things like text messages, emergency alerts and occasional connectivity than for replacing a traditional cellular network. There's simply too many of us doomscrolling, watching cat videos, downloading apps and sending 4K videos.