SPACEX NEWS: Today in Paris at the World Space Business Week, SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell stated the company plans to begin testing Direct-to-Cell (DTC) services using its newly acquired $17 billion S-band spectrum from EchoStar, and will conduct phone tests by late 2026. They also aim to launch their next-gen Starlink DTC satellites in two years.
The project requires new satellite payloads, collaborations with chip manufacturers for phone integration, and agreements with mobile network operators to wholesale capacity globally.
"This is the start, by the way, of a huge amount of work. We’re working with chip manufacturers to get the proper chips in phones."
Gwynne highlighted Starship's progress, via Flight 10 and V3's first launch is targeted for late 2025 or early 2026. V3 will enable propellant transfer in low Earth orbit. She also expressed confidence in docking based on Dragon experience.
On Flight 10, "My Starship team needed that win... I was really pleased. They did a great job. We met every mission objective that we wanted to."