Technologies

T-Mobile’s Starlink Phone Service Is Launching July 23, but Everyone Can Sign Up for the Free Beta Right Now

Take an early look at the T-Mobile Starlink satellite phone service which is available to Android and iPhone owners on every phone carrier.

T-Mobile is about to launch its new satellite phone service powered by Starlink. Dubbed T-Satellite, the network will officially start serving customers on July 23, but if you want a sneak peek right now, it’s easy to apply and take Starlink for a smartphone test drive.

In December 2024, T-Mobile launched a beta program that’s available to customers of any phone carrier, regardless of whether you have an iPhone or Android phone. The program is still open for those who want to apply.

However, access is limited during the T-Mobile Starlink beta. If you’re a T-Mobile customer living in the US, you must have an optimized phone, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6, iPhone 16 or Google Pixel 9. Customers of AT&T, Verizon and other phone carriers can also apply for the T-Satellite beta if they have a compatible, unlocked device with eSIM support.

If you’re interested in trying out the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service and don’t know where to start, here’s everything you need to know.

What is T-Mobile Starlink satellite service and how does it work?

In August 2022, during a live event, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced Coverage Above and Beyond, a plan for bringing cellphone connectivity everywhere in the US, even in the most remote regions. T-Mobile’s wireless network would leverage Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellites — more than 300 of them — to provide «near complete coverage» to all 500,000 square miles in the US that are not covered by cell towers, essentially eliminating dead zones.

If you’re in an area without cell service, like Yosemite National Park or the Grand Canyon, your phone will automatically connect to the nearest T-Mobile Starlink satellite, acting like a floating cellphone tower, to give you service, as long as there’s nothing obstructing the connection between your phone and the sky.

What can you do with T-Mobile Starlink satellite service?

You can use the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service to send and receive text messages on your supported phone — for free. That includes text messages to 911 in case of an emergency. Plans are in place to add support for picture messaging, voice calls, and data soon — but for most users, it will come at a cost.

Who can use the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service?

Right now, you need to meet the following requirements if you want to use the Starlink satellite service on your phone:

Anyone with any phone plan can apply. On T-Mobile’s website, it says: «Anyone — on any carrier — can register to participate in the beta. We’ll admit people on a rolling first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage everyone to sign up as soon as possible.»
You must have an optimized phone. According to T-Mobile, the following phones work with its Starlink satellite service: iPhone 14 and later, Google Pixel 9, Samsung Galaxy S23 and later, Galaxy Z Flip3 and Fold 3 and later, Motorola 2024 and later and more. You can find the full list here, which includes a few more Galaxy models.
You must also be on the latest software update. T-Mobile says that your phone must be on the latest software to use T-Mobile Starlink.

You must also be accepted into the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service beta program. The next section will explain how to sign up.

How can I join the T-Mobile Starlink satellite service beta program?

If you meet the requirements listed in the previous section, go to T-Mobile’s satellite phone service website and register with your full name, email and mobile phone number. Once you’ve been verified, you’ll receive confirmation that you’re on the waitlist for the Starlink satellite service via email.

Capacity is limited, so not everyone will get to join during the beta launch, but if you have an «optimized» phone, meaning a newer phone, you have a better chance of getting accepted. You should receive a notification via email or text when you’re accepted into the program. As the program leaves the beta stage on July 23, more people will be able to join.

What else you should know about T-Mobile’s Starlink satellite service

Since the satellite-to-cell service is still in beta, here are answers to some common questions you might have:

When will the free beta end? T-Mobile plans to end the free beta on July 23.
What will the price of the T-Mobile Starlink service be after the beta is finished? The service will continue to be free for users on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan, but for every other T-Mobile customer, it will be $10 a month per line «for a limited time.» New subscribers to T-Mobile’s Experience More plan will receive T-Satellite free through the end of 2025.
How much will it cost for Verizon, AT&T and other carrier users? While Verizon and AT&T customers can get T-Mobile Starlink text messaging for free during the beta trial, once the full service launches in July, it will be $10 per month per line.

Technologies

Amazon Reaches Automation Milestone by Deploying Its Millionth Robot

The company is also upgrading its entire fleet with a new generative AI model.

Amazon’s fleet of warehouse robots just hit a new milestone. The company announced Monday that it deployed its millionth bot to begin operations at a fulfillment center in Japan.

Amazon’s ambitions for robot use have long surpassed the company utilizing them for delivery service. The business juggernaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of mobile robotics, and aims to sell them to you for use at home as well — if you have $1,600 to spare.

The robotic workers operate in over 300 Amazon warehouses across the world, creating an ever-expanding automated delivery network. More than 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries are assisted in some way by robot automation, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon has also developed a new generative AI model called DeepFleet to make the robots in the delivery system «smarter and more efficient.» According to Amazon, this new model will coordinate robots across the fulfillment network to improve package travel times by 10%.

The company’s robots currently lift thousands of pounds of packages at a time, integrate conveyor belts to move along individual items and move autonomously around the warehouse with heavy carts.

The most recent fleet upgrade, Vulcan, uses force feedback sensors to create a sense of touch, physically lifting and moving items all by itself.

Amazon’s robots work in tandem with more than 1.6 million human workers worldwide. The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is on track to have more automated workers than employed humans, while Amazon workers have begun to unionize in recent years.

A representative for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Starlink’s Wi-Fi Is Faster in the Air Than on the Ground

Technologies

Marvel Rivals Season 3 Banks on Blade, Phoenix and Shorter Seasons Restoring Excitement to the Hero Shooter

The game is in desperate need of new shake-ups, and two fan-favorite heroes alongside some quality-of-life changes might just do the trick.

Marvel Rivals is gearing up for the start of season 3 next week, and we got our first look at some of the upcoming changes, including glimpses at the two new fan-favorite Marvel heroes, Phoenix (Jean Grey) and Blade. The season trailer also heavily teased that the villain Knull might be making his way to the game in future seasons.

Season 3 is a major turning point for the hero shooter, marking the start of its new two-month seasons and the start of the era where we’ll be getting new heroes every month (one at the start of the season and one at midseason). Previously, seasons were about three months long, with new heroes coming out roughly every six weeks. The new cadence is an aggressive pace for expanding the game’s roster, and threatens to keep the metagame churning even faster, assuming those new heroes are relevant at launch.

It’s once again a high-stakes season for Rivals, which has been bleeding active players since launch. Based on SteamDB data, the start of each new half-season brings in fewer players than the previous (for example, fewer players joined for season 2.5 than for 2.0).

More concerning, is that even the the start of each half-season doesn’t bring in enough players to reach the lowest amount of players from a full season. Season 2.0’s peak count of 315,000 players sits below season 1.0’s low point of 331,000 players, and season 2.5’s peak of 190,000 is just below the season 1.5 valley of 196,000. That means the start of new seasons — the most exciting moments for the game — are losing their ability to bring in new players or bring old players back. Steam numbers don’t include console players, but it’s difficult to imagine the story there looking much different.

Rivals is probably hoping that the official launch of two long-awaited heroes and a faster seasonal rotation will reverse that trend. Here’s everything we know about Marvel Rivals season 3.0 so far.

When does season 3 start?

Marvel Rivals season 3.0 is scheduled to start on Friday, July 11 UTC. Typically, this involves servers going down for a few hours around midnight PT before being turned back on for the new season in the very early morning.

New Marvel Rivals heroes

It’s finally happening — after half a year of being rumored additions to the roster, Jean Grey and Blade are officially joining the party. Jean Grey, wielding the powerful Phoenix Force, joins at season start. While we’ll have to wait another day for a hero trailer to see her kit and abilities, the devs teased Phoenix’s AOE damage through a chain-reaction mechanic and her mobility. They also said that Phoenix’s ultimate deals massive damage and gets rid of enemy summons on the battlefield — great news if you’re facing down any combination of Namor’s turrets, Moon Knight’s ankhs, Peni’s nests and Rocket’s beacon (the latter of which have a team-up together).

Rivals continues to make Blade fans wait, since that hero won’t be added to the roster until season 3.5. But at least that’s only a month away under the new season structure.

Rivals season 3 balance changes

Rivals devs gave us a quick breakdown of the upcoming balance changes, though we’re still waiting on full details from official patch notes. Here’s the quick breakdown, with any confirmed details in parentheses.

Buffs:

Venom
Thing (gains a new ability to jump to enemies, possibly knocking down fliers)
Namor (primary fire)
Scarlet Witch (ultimate)
Invisible Woman (healing efficiency)
Mantis (healing and ultimate utility)

Nerfs:

Emma Frost
Iron Man (poke potential)
Punisher (turret)
Mister Fantastic (survivability)
Loki (ultimate charge)
Ultron

Team-up changes

Rivals is adding two new team-ups, tacking heroes onto two existing ones and removing two others (Storming Ignition and ESU Alumnus) from the game. It’s also nerfing another. Here’s the quick rundown:

New — Primal Flame: Phoenix anchors to add damage over time and lifesteal to Wolverine’s attacks after his leap.
New — Ever-Burning Bond: Human Torch anchors to let Spider-Man shoot a burning web with a flaming tracer. (The flaming tracer stacks with Spidey’s regular tracers, devs said.)
Updated — Symbiote Shenanigans: Adds Hela, giving her Soul Drainer Hel Sphere slowing tendrils.
Updated — Stark Protocol: Adds Squirrel Girl, giving her an explosive, homing gauntlet.
Updated — Guardian Revival: Devs said they’d be nerfing some element of the Guardians’ team-up.

Other things coming in season 3

The battle pass is getting some adjustments to account for shorter seasons. Battle passes still offer 10 skins, but you’ll earn tokens at a faster rate to make it easier to progress through the entire battle pass in the shorter time period. Daily missions are also going away, with weekly missions shifting to permanent quests instead of being time-limited. Seasonal missions that offer large batches of tokens are also being added.

Rivals devs also announced a new competitive mode coming in season 3.5 but said we’d have to wait for any details about it.

The game is also adding accessories (which appear to be animated stickers that float above the KO notifications), new chroma options and visual effects for ultimate abilities. Perhaps the nicest quality of life change is the ability to mix & match MVP animations with any skins, instead of having certain MVP animations locked to specific skins.