SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket to put into orbit Starlink satellites that beam directly to smartphones, a move the company said will boost global coverage and fill in dead zones.
The first developing market operator to tap into the Starlink satellites will be Entel Chile. Other operators to also sign up were: T-Mobile US, Canadian provider Rogers Communications, Australian operator Optus, KDDI from Japan, One New Zealand, and Swiss player Salt Mobile.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched in the early morning of January 3 and was posted on social media platform X.
Starlink is aiming to provide SMS messaging from its satellites this year, with voice and data service to come in 2025.
Starlink also announced it has connected 2.3 million people in 70 countries. It has over 4,000 satellites in low-earth orbit with aims to launch 42,000.
