Elon Musk says Starlink will offer free emergency services to all phones

Elon Musk announced that his SpaceX’s Starlink’s mobile phone system will offer free emergency services to all people in “distress. ”

“Can’t have a situation where someone dies because they forgot or were unable to pay for it,” Elon said Tuesday.

The X post comes as SpaceX is urging the Federal Communications Commission to allow it to launch its “'Direct To Cell' Starlink system with T-Mobile . The system would allow customers to send emergency alerts to all wireless users in cellular dead zones, even if they haven’t signed up for the satellite-based service.

SpaceX is requesting a waiver to allow the company to operate beyond normal radio frequency parameters which has led to pushback from rival carriers AT&T and Verizon. They claim the Starlink satellites will generate too much radio interference.

SpaceX’s letter to the FCC claimed that the service would connect first responders to a variety of environments, including rural fields and oak-filled valleys, as well as sending wireless emergency alerts to everyone, not just T- Mobile customers, in places where there is no terrestrial coverage.

Musk has not provided any further details on his promise but said that the offer would apply to customers worldwide, “subject to approval by country governments.” This service would be similar to Apple’s Emergency SOS feature that is available for free for the iPhone 14 and up. It also allows for users to share their location with family and friends.

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That feature helped save a young couple whose car fell 300 feet into a canyon in northeast California in 2022. They were able to text emergency service providers who instructed them on where to go in order to be airlifted to safety.This comes as SpaceX has had to delay its historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission several times due to multiple reasons, including a helium leak and bad weather.

There is currently no set date for the launch. The mission in Cape Canaveral, Florida, will see Commander Jared Isaacman, former F-16 pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineers, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, launch into a highly elliptical orbit that will carry them higher than any astronauts have flown since the Apollo moon program.