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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- T-Mobile successfully tested a satellite-powered wireless emergency alert, sending a simulated evacuation notice via Starlink satellites.
- The technology could extend emergency alerts to over 500,000 square miles of previously unreachable areas in the US.
- This service will work across all major carriers, potentially saving lives during natural disasters and other emergencies.
T-Mobile has announced a significant breakthrough in emergency communication technology with the successful transmission of a wireless emergency alert (WEA) via satellite for the first time in the United States. This achievement is part of a larger collaboration between T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Starlink to develop satellite-to-smartphone connectivity. The goal is to enable users to contact emergency services directly from their phones, even when outside of traditional cellular coverage.
The recent test utilized similar technology to deliver an emergency alert via satellite to areas currently unreachable by traditional cell towers. During the test, a hypothetical evacuation notice was sent from T-Mobile to a Starlink satellite orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. The satellite then relayed the alert to a designated area, where it was received by a T-Mobile smartphone.
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