T-Mobile US Trials Satellite Emergency Alert

T-Mobile US trialed the first wireless emergency alert sent via satellite. The operator claims that a simulated evacuation notice was received by one of the more than 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone birds currently in low earth orbit.

In a statement, the operator explained the alert for the hypothetical evacuation notice was sent 217 miles into space to be received by Starlink’s satellites operating as cell towers. The message was then broadcast to an area impacted by the mock evacuation notice and received by a T-Mobile-connected smartphone, the company noted, adding it only took seconds for emergency operators to send the alert via Starlink satellites to users on Earth.

T-Mobile claimed the technology means it will be able to connect 500,000 square miles of lightly populated, uninhabitable, or mountainous geographical areas across the country to life-saving emergency alerts. It pointed to a devastating fire accident in Northern California in 2018 as an example, citing the lack of wireless coverage reportedly led to more than 150,000 acres of land set ablaze and took the lives of many.

“This is one of those days, as the CEO of a wireless company, that makes me pause for a moment and reflect on how technology advancements and the work we’re doing is truly impacting life and death situations,” said CEO Mike Sievert. The operator added that the emergency alert system would also work for users on other networks, including Verizon and AT&T.