T-Mobile customers impacted by Hurricane Milton will get free emergency satellite texting thanks to Starlink.
On Tuesday evening,China Movies | Adult Movies Online SpaceX, which owns Starlink, shared that it has activated its Direct to Cell satellites for T-Mobile carriers in Florida, which is expected to bear the brunt of the hurricane. "We have now enabled basic texting (SMS) for those on T-Mobile phones in hurricane affected areas," said SpaceX in a post on X. "Text messages have already been sent and received. You can text loved ones, text 911 and continue to receive emergency alerts."
SpaceX has also delivered 10,000 Starlink kits to areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
SEE ALSO: Hurricane Milton: See Florida coast webcams live as the storm approachesThis Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Activation of satellite-based texting was made possible by the Federal Communications Commission, which granted approval for "special temporary authority" to provide cell service in affected parts of Florida.
Hurricane Milton, currently fluctuating between a category 4 and 5 with up to 160 mph winds, is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Residents in southwestern Florida have been ordered to evacuate and experts are predicting devastating impact. "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," said the National Hurricane Center in an announcement on Wednesday.
T-Mobile users won't have to do anything or buy anything extra to get Starlink connectivity, although some devices might require the user to turn on the satellite connectivity option in settings, said a T-Mobile spokesperson in a comment on the SpaceX post.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
If a phone connects to a Starlink satellite, it will show one to two bars of connectivity and say "T-Mobile SpaceX" as the network name, the SpaceX post explained. It also recommended trying multiple times if a message doesn't go through at first — it works best outdoors or indoors near a window.
For people impacted by Hurricane Milton that don't have T-Mobile, there might be other options for satellite connectivity. Apple has an Emergency SOS via Satellite feature on iPhone 14 models and newer via a partnership with Globalstar, and the Google Pixel 9 has a similar Satellite SOS feature, thanks to a partnership with Skylo.
(Editor: {typename type="name"/})
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are on sale for $100 off
'The Legend of Vox Machina's Killbox fight proves that friendship kicks ass
The Queen refers to 2019 as a 'bumpy' year in Christmas speech
'Joker 2' first look: Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix are caught in a bad romance
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
Apple debut of mixed reality headset is reportedly delayed until June
How to create a business page on Facebook
Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for February 14
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for February 15
The Made in America iPhone: How much would it cost?
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for February 15
接受PR>=1、BR>=1,流量相当,内容相关类链接。