Starlink on Your Phone: What Works Today and What It Costs

You can’t buy a phone plan from Starlink yet. In the US, the way to use Starlink satellites on your phone today is T-Mobile’s T-Satellite, which your phone shows as “T-Mobile SpaceX” or “T-Sat+Starlink” when it connects. On November 3, 2026, T-Mobile’s page said T-Satellite comes with its top plans or costs $10 a month per line, and that “You don’t even have to be a T-Mobile member to get it.” It handles texts, picture messages, location sharing, a list of approved apps and text to 911, outdoors where you can see the sky.

Starlink’s plans go further. Its Starlink Mobile service already powers “data, voice, video and messaging across six continents” through phone companies, and SpaceX is buying radio spectrum “to advance our Starlink Mobile strategy.” Neither that page nor SpaceX’s October 2026 results give a Starlink phone plan, price or launch date.

The short answer

If you just want a way to text from places with no signal, T-Satellite (or the feature already in a newer iPhone) is the answer today. If you want real internet off the grid, you need a dish; see the last section.

Is there a Starlink phone?

No. Starlink’s own page says Starlink Mobile “works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky” (LTE is the 4G standard most phones support), and it lists partner phone companies, such as T-Mobile in the US, rather than a phone or a plan you buy from Starlink. T-Mobile says “Most smartphones from the last 4 years work with T-Satellite.” So the phone in your pocket is probably the phone you would use.

How much does Starlink phone service cost?

Starlink’s partner list names one US carrier, T-Mobile, and the price is T-Mobile’s. It depends on your plan:

• On T-Mobile’s top plans: $0 extra. T-Mobile’s FAQ says “Experience Beyond 2.0 & Better Value customers: No action needed—T-Satellite is included in your plan at no extra cost.” Other parts of the same page say “Experience Beyond,” “Experience Beyond 2.0” or “Experience Beyond and Better Value,” and one line still mentions “Go5G Next,” so check what the T-Life app (T-Mobile’s account app) shows for your line.
• On other T-Mobile plans: $10 a month per line. T-Mobile calls this “a limited time” price, “a savings of $5/mo.,” and says it “auto renews monthly. Cancel anytime in T-Life App.”
• On another carrier: $10 a month per line. “Not a T-Mobile customer? Get T-Satellite for $10/mo. (a savings of $5/mo.),” the page says, and it offers to “Add it to your existing plan for just $10/month per line.” TmoNews reported that this covers “AT&T and Verizon folks who add it without switching.” You keep your main carrier for normal service; T-Satellite runs on an eSIM beside it.
• Emergency texting only: free, after you sign up. T-Mobile says “anyone with a compatible phone can reach emergency services via satellite, free of charge,” but iPhone 14 and later are not eligible because satellite emergency service “is already built in.” You enroll first, and a phone on another carrier “must be unlocked and have an available eSIM.” On that free service you can text 911, the 988 mental health line and T-Mobile care, and “Outbound messages to other numbers are not supported.”

Over a year, the $10 add-on works out to $120 per line before taxes, if the price holds. T-Mobile’s “savings of $5” wording points to a $15 regular price, which would be $180 a year.

What works on T-Satellite, and what doesn’t

Download and sign in to the apps you want before you leave coverage, T-Mobile advises. Your phone switches to the satellite network by itself only when no regular or roaming network is available, and choosing it by hand “will not work while other cellular connection options are available.”

Does it work indoors, on a plane or on a cruise ship?

Usually not. T-Mobile’s support page says “Coverage may not be available on airplanes, inside buildings, cruise ships, and other places with obstructed views of the sky,” and that mountains, canyons and tree cover can get in the way. It recommends “using the service outdoors with a clear view of the sky.” Some areas in some states may not allow satellite coverage “Due to ongoing regulatory requirements.”

Which phones work with T-Satellite?

Most recent ones. T-Mobile says T-Satellite “works automatically on the majority of phones from the last four years.” T-Mobile customers can check in the T-Life app (Account, then the line, then Status, then T-Satellite), which also lists features your phone may not support, “such as picture messaging or data.” T-Mobile also points to an online IMEI checker (the IMEI is a unique ID number for your phone).

If you are not on T-Mobile, you need “an unlocked, satellite optimized phone with eSIM capabilities.” A phone bought straight from Apple or Samsung “is likely already unlocked”; one bought through a carrier may be locked to it. Some phones support only one eSIM, and if your main carrier uses it, you would have to move that line to a physical SIM card first. T-Mobile also warns that some customers face “a short wait” while phone makers update their software.

Does T-Satellite work outside the US?

In a few places. At home it covers “the Continental U.S., including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and parts of southern Alaska.” Abroad, T-Mobile lists partner coverage in Canada (Rogers Satellite), Australia (Telstra), New Zealand (One NZ) and Japan (KDDI), and notes “Text to 911 is unavailable in Japan.” If you live outside the US, Starlink lists local partners such as Rogers in Canada, Telstra and Optus in Australia, One NZ, KDDI in Japan and VMO2 in the UK.

Your phone may already have satellite texting

Check what your phone does before paying for anything. Apple says that with an iPhone 14 or later, “you can send iMessages or SMS messages via satellite when you’re off the grid,” in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Both Messages via satellite and Emergency SOS via satellite are free for two years after the iPhone is activated, Apple says, and its pages do not say what happens after that. For SMS by satellite, Apple adds that availability “depends on carrier. Carrier fees may apply.” Apple’s satellite network is “provided by Globalstar,” not Starlink. Google says its Satellite SOS emergency feature “is available on all Pixel devices since Pixel 9, except Pixel 9a.”

T-Satellite goes further than texting, with satellite-ready apps for maps and weather and WhatsApp voice chat.

T-Mobile’s page dropped the “Starlink” name

In October, TmoNews, citing PCMag, reported that T-Mobile had removed “with Starlink” from the T-Satellite logo and intro text on its main consumer page, and that T-Mobile “hasn’t said a word about why.” The same report said “nothing about the service itself has changed” and that T-Satellite “still runs on SpaceX’s satellites.” On November 3, T-Mobile’s support page still said a connected phone shows “T-Mobile SpaceX” or “T-Sat+Starlink.”

When will Starlink Mobile be its own carrier?

No consumer plan or launch date has been announced. Here is what SpaceX, the FCC, EchoStar and news reports have said so far:

• The spectrum. On October 8, 2026, SpaceX agreed to buy “a nationwide low-band spectrum license portfolio of up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band.” SpaceX expects that deal to close in the first half of 2027, “subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions.”
• The satellites. On October 6, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved SpaceX’s request for 15,000 satellites for direct-to-phone service while deferring some of its requests, Satellite Today reported. The same report, dated October 7, 2026, said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell had told investors that SpaceX plans to start flying its second-generation Starlink Mobile satellites in 2027, with service by the end of 2027.
• The rules. On October 29, the FCC adopted a proposal, not final rules, seeking comment on “making up to an additional 482 megahertz available” for satellite service to phones. Comments are due 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register.
• Boost Mobile. EchoStar serves its wireless subscribers mainly under the Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile brands, and says its spectrum sale to SpaceX “provides for future long-term commercial agreements” that would give those subscribers access to “SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink Direct to Cell text and voice and broadband services.” It gives no start date for that access. The sale has two steps: EchoStar completed the first on May 22, 2026, and the last is “expected to occur on or about November 30, 2027,” or earlier if SpaceX chooses. Separately, on November 2, TechCrunch, citing The Washington Post, reported that SpaceX is looking to buy Boost Mobile; Boost “doesn’t operate its own towers,” leasing capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile, which “might need to approve such a deal.” That is a reported interest, not an announced deal.

If you want satellite texting on your phone now, T-Satellite is the Starlink-based option on sale today, and the add-on renews month to month with “Cancel anytime,” so there is little reason to wait for a carrier plan with no price.

Need real internet, not just texts?

T-Satellite is built for messages and light apps. For video calls, streaming or work off the grid, you need a Starlink dish. The Starlink Mini kit starts at $149 and promises “speeds up to 300+ Mbps” (megabits per second). Roam service for travel starts at $55 a month for 100 gigabytes (GB) of high-speed data, $80 for 300GB or $175 for unlimited, at Starlink’s “starting at” prices. The Starlink Mini guide covers buying, renting and Standby Mode, the dish decoder sorts out which kit you would get, and the Starlink plans guide tracks each plan’s price.

If you are a new Starlink customer signing up on starlink.com for Residential or Roam service, a referral link pays you and the person who referred you the same reward after two months of service, as service credit by default; Starlink gives “$100 in the US” as the example. The Starlink referral guide explains the catches and has this site’s link, with a disclosure.

Starlink phone questions

Can you get Starlink on your phone?

In the US, yes, through T-Mobile’s T-Satellite, which runs on Starlink satellites. It works outdoors with a clear view of the sky for texts, picture messages, location sharing, select apps and text to 911. Outside the US, Starlink lists local partners such as Rogers, Telstra, Optus, One NZ, KDDI and VMO2.

How much does T-Mobile’s Starlink service cost?

It is included with T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond and Better Value plans. On other T-Mobile plans it is $10 a month per line, a price T-Mobile calls limited-time, and other carriers’ customers pay $10 a month per line, listed as “a savings of $5/mo.”

Do you have to switch to T-Mobile to get it?

No. Customers of other carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, can add T-Satellite for $10 a month per line and keep their main carrier, on an unlocked, satellite-optimized phone with eSIM.

Can you make phone calls over Starlink?

Not ordinary calls yet. You can voice chat through WhatsApp on T-Satellite, and Starlink says native calling is a “Future service.” Text to 911 works, but it is text only.

Does T-Satellite work indoors or on a cruise ship?

Usually not. T-Mobile says coverage “may not be available on airplanes, inside buildings, cruise ships,” or other places without a clear view of the sky.

When will Starlink Mobile launch as its own carrier?

SpaceX has not announced a consumer plan, price or launch date. Its 800 MHz spectrum deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027, and Satellite Today reported in October 2026 that SpaceX’s president told investors next-generation Starlink Mobile service should start by the end of 2027. EchoStar gives no start date for Boost Mobile’s access; the last step of its spectrum sale to SpaceX is targeted for November 30, 2027.

Sources (16)

• t-mobile.com T-Satellite (November 3, 2026)
• t-mobile.com T-Mobile Support: T-Satellite support (November 3, 2026)
• starlink.com Starlink Mobile
• sec.gov SpaceX: Third Quarter 2026 Results (SEC Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
• sec.gov EchoStar: Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026
• docs.fcc.gov FCC: Unleashing Licensed Spectrum for Direct-to-Device, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-71)
• satellitetoday.com FCC Grants SpaceX Approval for 15,000 Direct-to-Device Satellites (October 7, 2026)
• techcrunch.com SpaceX reportedly wants to buy Boost Mobile (November 2, 2026)
• tmonews.com Where'd Starlink Go? T-Mobile Scrubs the Name From T-Satellite's Homepage
• usmobile.com US Mobile + Starlink
• support.apple.com Apple Support: About Messages via satellite on your iPhone
• support.apple.com Apple Support: Use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone
• support.google.com Google Pixel Help: Get emergency help through Satellite SOS
• starlink.com Starlink Mini Kit (US product page)
• starlink.com Roam
• starlink.com Starlink Help Center: Does Starlink have a referral program?