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by moolcool 487 days ago
Maybe specialty hardware? Are there handsets yet which can connect to starlink?
1 comments

iPhone, most notably.
Much more than iPhone. From Tmobile's FAQ [0]:

Apple iPhone 14 and later (including Plus, Pro & Pro Max), Google Pixel 9 (including Pro, Pro Fold, & Pro XL), Motorola 2024 and later (including razr, razr+, edge and g series), Samsung Galaxy A14, A15, A16, A35, A53, A54, Samsung Galaxy S21 and later (including Plus, Ultra and Fan Edition), Samsung Galaxy X Cover6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and later, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and later and REVVL 7 (including Pro)

[0] https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service?ic...

Starlink Direct to Cell is not available yet
I have it on my Pixel 9 Pro XL right now and have had it since the end of January. Worked well so far for me in the country where Tmo typically has had dead spots, if not a little slow.

https://i.imgur.com/wrl5KLf.png

That is just texting though, not voice or data.
Let's not move goalposts. It's still undeniably both "Starlink" and "Direct To Cell," so I would say that Starlink Direct To Cell is indeed available.
Moving the goalposts? The point I was refuting was "Any benefits Iridium was supposed to provide are currently achieved by Starlink", but Iridium offers services today which StarLink does not.
Is it 5G only or does LTE also work?
It's only for texting so it doesn't really matter. That said Iridium is so slow it's mostly only useful for texting type situations as well. Even the voice is so heavily compressed and laggy as to be mildly unpleasant to use.