Along with a price slash, T-Mobile is petitioning customers of rival carriers in the T-Satellite beta with free service and trials.
T-Mobile Starlink Gets a Price Drop to Lure Rival’s Customers
2 min read
T-Mobile and Starlink's direct-to-cell service is set to launch its full service in July for a reduced price. | Image by T-Mobile
T-Mobile is using its satellite service to entice AT&T and Verizon customers to make the switch. In addition to lowering the price of the service across the board, it’s offering several benefits to users waiting to join the ongoing beta of the direct-to-cell service, including a trial of its 5G network.
T-Mobile seems so confident in the success of its satellite service, powered by Starlink, that it will now be cheaper than initially announced when it officially launches in July. During T-Mobile’s Q1 earnings call, CEO Mike Sievert announced that the new monthly price for T-Mobile Starlink, also known as T-Satellite, would be $10 for at least one year.
T-Mobile will include the service for customers on the Go5G Next and Experience Beyond plans. However, customers on other plans can add it for an extra $10 to their bill. Another surprise Sievert mentioned was that the new pricing would also apply to customers on rival carriers, including AT&T and Verizon.
Leveraging T-Satellite to convince mobile customers to make the switch
T-Mobile first announced pricing for the T-Satellite in February, and that it would be $15 per month for T-Mobile customers on lower-tiered plans and $20 for customers of other carriers. This price drop could be a move to attract customers of rival carriers to switch to T-Mobile, as they have already sent offers to AT&T and Verizon customers on the satellite beta to switch for a free year of the service.
T-Mobile surprised everyone by making the beta and full service available to customers of rival carriers. Customers of rival carriers who signed up to participate in the T-Satellite beta but are still on the waitlist have been receiving an email from T-Mobile stating that they will soon gain access to the beta.
“Our phone partners have been hustling to get more phones satellite-optimized, and in just a couple weeks, you’ll be invited into the beta,” the email stated.
It lists several benefits for those users, including access to T-Mobile’s 5G network with 50GB of data and unlimited text. It’s similar to the current free trial offering that T-Mobile has, which allows customers on different carriers to try out their service if their phone has an eSIM function.
T-Satellite beta continues adding customers, while rival AST SpaceMobile accelerates
The beta is limited to a handful of phone models, but T-Mobile has stated it will expand the list. Many phone models are supposedly capable of connecting to satellite, but they lack specific certification from the FCC, which T-Mobile is petitioning to have waived.
So far, the beta only supports texting and location sharing, but is said to eventually include voice and data when connecting to Starlink satellites that will act as orbiting cell towers.
While T-Mobile is the only carrier partnered with Starlink in the U.S., AT&T and Verizon are banking on a partnership with satellite company AST SpaceMobile to compete with their own direct-to-cell service. The startup company still has several hurdles to overcome, including launching its constellation of Bluebird satellites and securing authorization from the FCC. It has no concrete timeline for when its service will be available, but it’s aiming to begin in 2026. This could explain T-Mobile’s aggressive push to entice AT&T and Verizon to switch.
