Elon Musk is giving this gift to everyone in the world and it will be completely free
Elon Musk is undoubtedly one of the richest people on the entire planet who makes a lot of money through the controversies he is involved in. But also because of the strategies his companies follow. In addition to Tesla or X, Musk also owns Starlink. A company that is trying to provide internet connectivity via a series of satellites. All this without relying on a coverage tower.
Currently, Starlink is constantly sending up new satellites that can be seen on some nights. But its plans don't stop there, and the company is currently developing a service called Starlink Direct-to-cell that will allow the satellites in orbit to create a 4G network so we can connect from our smartphone wherever we are.
- It will be possible to use Starlink as an emergency and without paying anything
This is not an easy thing to do, which is why it will not be immediate. Right now we know that the company will start offering text messaging service starting at the end of the year. But for phone calls, we will have to wait until 2025.
Another unknown is the price. At the moment, Musk has not revealed how much it will cost to connect to his satellite network to make phone calls with 4G coverage. But he has given us a joy, or rather, a gift to the entire community.
In a message on his X account, he revealed that anyone, whether they pay for the service or not, will be able to connect to his satellite network to make a call to emergency services. This is ideal when we are in a “buffer zone” where the phone cannot connect to any tower. Specifically, he announced it as follows:
“After careful consideration, SpaceX Starlink will provide free access to emergency services via mobile phone to people in distress. This applies worldwide, subject to approval by the governments of the countries. We cannot imagine a situation where someone dies because they forgot or because they could not pay.”
He says this is a safety measure for everyone. He even calls it a huge gesture of generosity because Starlink accounts are currently in a precarious situation that requires a higher volume of subscriptions. Although we still don’t know when this “connectivity” feature will be available to everyone.