T-Mobile allows L.A. wildfire victims to text for help using Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellite system
The wildfires in Los Angeles have destroyed many homes (over 1,000 buildings have been burned down at last count) and the property that was kept inside them has been destroyed or damaged beyond repair. At least 10 people have also lost their lives and during this emergency, it hasn't been that easy to summon help and get in touch with loved ones and friends to see how they are doing and to find out what they need. That's because cell towers and masts have been burned down by the fires while some have lost power.
To help with this situation, T-Mobile and Starlink have activated their satellite messaging system for any phone in the Los Angeles area on the T-Mobile network. Starlink is a wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX and a tweet posted by the latter on Thursday said, that in the L.A. area, Starlink and T-Mobile have arranged for the carrier's subscribers to use the Direct-to-Cell satellites to send basic texts.
T-Mobile customers caught in the wildfire can now send and receive texts to and from friends and relatives. More importantly, T-Mobile users in L.A. can now text 911 to report an emergency. Keep in mind that what T-Mobile subscribers in Los Angeles are using is an early test version of Direct-to-Cell. As T-Mobile said, "While SpaceX's direct-to-cell constellation has not been fully deployed, we are once again temporarily making this early test version available for those who need it most."
It’s absolutely devastating seeing the destruction caused by the California wildfires. @TMobile is doing everything we can to keep affected communities connected. Today, we opened up our T-Mobile Starlink Direct-to-Cellular service over the impacted areas. And although SpaceX’s… pic.twitter.com/5qJa7velk3
— John Saw (@JohnSaw) January 10, 2025
There is no denying that people in L.A. need this service right away. Even though the carrier was able to restore power to half of T-Mobile's cellular network in Los Angeles, this still leaves many without the power or cellular equipment required to keep them connected via their smartphone. This is exactly the kind of situation that Direct-to-Cell was designed for.
"For those in the Los Angeles area, the @Starlink team and @TMobile have enabled basic texting (SMS) through our Direct-to-Cell satellites. You can now text loved ones, text 911 and receive emergency alerts."-SpaceX tweet on X
If you're not a T-Mobile customer, as long as you own an iPhone 14 or later, you can send a message to emergency contacts using Apple's "Emergency SOS via satellite." If you're in L.A. and you are trying to call or text emergency services and are unable to because of the wildfires, if you can get outside to a location with a clear view of the night sky without putting yourself in danger, your iPhone will try to hook up to a satellite so that emergency services can be contacted via text. The program is still free at the moment for iPhone 14, 15, and 16 users.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: