(Credit: SpaceX/Starlink)
SpaceX's Starlink system for cell phones remains in the testing phase, but the technology is already good enough to power a video call.
On Tuesday, Elon Musk's company demonstrated the feat in a video posted to Twitter/X. "First video call on X completed through Starlink Direct to Cell satellites from unmodified mobile phones!" SpaceX said in the tweet.
The demo appears to take place at the company's offices in Redmond, Washington. One employee connects their smartphone to SpaceX’s cellular Starlink satellites, which are orbiting the planet hundreds of kilometers away. Despite the distance, the smartphone is able to establish a connection and access X’s video call feature.
The resulting call is able to beam video footage over the cellular Starlink network, although the image quality is a bit grainy and the clip is short. Nevertheless, the phone starts a call with a second smartphone connected to a traditional cellular network.
The company pulled off the demo after SpaceX recently increased the number of cellular Starlink satellites from a six in January to 38 last week, according to SpaceX Senior Director Ben Longmier. An earlier test conducted in March showed that the cellular Starlink tech can deliver download speeds as high as 17Mbps to an unmodified Android phone.
SpaceX plans on launching the cellular Starlink service later this year to T-Mobile customers, enabling them to receive connectivity in remote regions, when a traditional cell tower is nowhere in sight. The company’s satellites will essentially act as a cell tower in space that can ferry text messages, voice and data to users.
SpaceX still needs to wait for FCC approval before it can launch the service in the US. It’s possible the company released the video call demo to help convince US regulators to clear the technology’s commercial use. However, rival Omnispace claims SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system generates radio interference, arguing it risks disrupting other satellite services. Last Friday, Omnispace urged the FCC to intervene and force SpaceX to stop its tests. So far, the FCC has declined to comment.