5G

Late last night, SpaceX launched its first rocket of 2024 out of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. On top, in addition to the Starlink V2 mini satellites were used to, were six Starlink satellites capable of connecting directly to standard 5G cellphones. These satellites are the first following a partnership with T-Mobile announced back in 2022 to feature the connectivity, and are a major step forward for SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation.

SpaceX and T-Mobile just announced a press conference that will take place tomorrow evening at 8 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s Texas development site Starbase. SpaceX said the purpose of the conference is to “announce plans to increase connectivity” without providing any other details.

Over the past few years, 5G has become a game-changing technology in the commercial sector. Included in smartphones and tablets, it can allow for fast internet speeds away from the user’s home wifi network. Now, Lockheed Martin plans to bring this technology to the Department of Defense.