How Good Is Cellular Satellite Service Now? I Went Camping To Find Out

Forbes

a day ago

A photo of Monument Peak (7,762ft / 2,366m) behind Trinity Lake, shot on a Fuji X100VI
I'm a city slicker and have lived in cities or suburbs most of my life. So, when the wireless carriers began launching their satellite services, it became a bit of a problem for me to try them out since most of these services kick in only when there's no cell coverage. This problem is compounded for me because all three of the big national carriers have pretty good coverage around my hometown of San Diego, so I can't just drive to a nearby dead zone and catch satellite coverage that easily. In fact, I would have to drive at least an hour away to lose coverage enough to activate a satellite connection, which is not a priority for me as a father of a toddler who also has a pregnant wife. But a recent camping trip with my family and friends up to Northern California gave me a golden opportunity to test out the different satellite services for myself.
The Devices, Setup And Experience
As an analyst covering mobile technology, I typically travel with at least one device per carrier, so this trip was no different. The only real limitation for me was that my AT&T device was a Poco F7 Ultra, which doesn't have any kind of satellite support. My T-Mobile phone was a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and my Verizon device was an iPhone 16 Pro. I also brought along a Google Pixel 9a that I've been testing on Google Fi, but that was only for use with standard cell coverage, because Google dropped all satellite connectivity, even satellite messaging, in the shift from the Pixel 9 to the Pixel 9a.
Before I made the trip, I pre-checked coverage at the campsite and saw that T-Mobile and AT&T had basically zero 4G or 5G coverage, while Verizon had a smidgin of LTE. The sources I checked turned out to be accurate, because they absolutely matched the experience I had once I got there.
First up, Verizon. I struggled with the LTE service on Verizon, which was not good enough to enable sending a message, but still good enough to keep satellite service from activating. I needed to send an important message from that device but couldn't get it to transmit until I was out on the lake in an area with better cell coverage, well away from the campsite. Satellite messaging seemed to connect, but it wouldn't let me send any messages, probably because I didn't have a clear enough view of the sky.
This experience made me realize that there should absolutely be a quality threshold for device OEMs and carriers when it comes to a cellular connection. If there's too little cell reception, that can actually be worse than having no signal if it prevents you from accessing available satellite services. Perhaps when devices detect satellite coverage, they could enforce a higher standard for cellular connections to keep users from getting stuck in that trap.
By contrast, T-Mobile's satellite service was seamlessly activated on my Galaxy S25 Ultra while I was driving in and out of coverage, which made me realize that the number-one use case for satellite connectivity is roadside assistance. Each time, I got an easy-to-understand text message telling me that the phone had switched to a satellite connection while I was driving. I also imagine that it probably saves a lot of battery drain to have the satellite connected, rather than forcing the phone to constantly search for a cell signal where there is none. If you're concerned about the radiation associated with cell phones, my guess is that a setup like T-Mobile's likely reduces that, too. I didn't have time to test that hypothesis, but it would be interesting to study.
While I had a good experience with T-Mobile on the road, the service didn't seem to work for me on the first day at the campsite. Somehow, though, it turned back on the next day when I saw a bunch of messages from friends and family that otherwise I wouldn't have seen until four days later when I got back into normal cell service. Unfortunately, I didn't end up using T-Mobile's satellite service that much because my phone went to the bottom of the lake in an unfortunate jet-skiing accident. But what impressed me the most about T-Mobile's satellite service is that it didn't require a clear view of the sky at all. I was even able to get a signal indoors, and it worked pretty seamlessly there.
T-Mobile has ended the beta of its satellite cellular service and is set to launch full commercial availability on July 23 for all customers — including non-T-Mobile customers who want to pay specifically for access to the T-Mobile SpaceX network. The company also says that it will enable its messaging service for free for anyone using it for E911 starting in October, which I believe is a great step forward for the industry. The company is also adding MMS, picture and short audio clip capabilities to its satellite messaging functions via SpaceX Starlink.
While my AT&T device didn't have compatibility for AT&T's satellite messaging service, I was still able to see how it worked because one of my friends on the trip had an AT&T iPhone with satellite capability. I'm pleased to say it worked even in areas where trees were partially obstructing the view of the sky. In fact, my friend was able to receive an important text from his landlord — one that made him change his schedule — that he wouldn't have known about until he got back into a standard cellular service area. It seemed like the AT&T service (likely GlobalStar through Apple) still required at least some visibility of the sky, but not so much that he needed to align his phone with the satellites moving overhead. This seemed like a good user experience, and he and I talked at length about satellite messaging being useful in this scenario. Hopefully AT&T's partnership with AST SpaceMobile reaches commercial availability soon, since that seems like a very promising alternative to Starlink and won't be limited to services from specific manufacturers like Apple or Google.
What's Next For Satellite Cellular Service
We are still very much in the early stages of satellite direct-to-device cellular connectivity. In that context, it's not surprising that services are still rudimentary, althought it's clear that T-Mobile has already built a solid experience and is enhancing that solution by adding MMS, pictures and short audio clips. I believe that the other carriers will follow suit, and that down the road we'll likely get real-time voice and video as well. I predict that satellite messaging availability will become standard for all users, but that voice, video and data will remain premium services.
Meanwhile, I would implore OEMs and carriers to reconsider what's an acceptable level of service for cell networks in remote areas, and when to hand over service from cellular to satellite more reliably. Beyond that, more mobile devices need built-in satellite support, because the current install base is mostly limited to the latest flagship phones. I support government mandates for satellite messaging, at a minimum for E911/Roadside Assistance, but it appears that T-Mobile might just do it for the greater good without a government mandate. With Apple's help, AT&T has delivered as well, though I really want to see its partnership with AST SpaceMobile go beyond trials and tests and reach commercial availability soon.