Starlink T-Mobile Goes Live... Death of the InReach?

Fowl Play

Fowl Play

WKR
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I know it's been talked about allot here, but if you didn't catch it, T-Mobile's Starlink Satellite Messaging program officially went live today.


No longer a Beta program, and supposedly even users on other networks can access their "T-satellite" program for $10 a month now.

I still might pack my InReach for purely SOS backup with the bare minimum plan, but this is pretty cool stuff. I'm also curious to see if we might find some better pricing from Garmin now that they have true competition. Previously, Garmin's service was superior to other options (Apple satellite, etc.) as the Iridium network had better coverage, but Starlink is poised to have way more coverage and fault tolerance then the Iridium network...
 
For most purposes, the phone based satellite systems will make InReach obsolete. I bought a new iPhone to get satellite, and it is so much easier and faster than my Gen1 InReach for communication.

It’s the emergency SOS that makes me keep mine for now. But, most every trip I take I haven’t turned it on. Especially now that I have a Starlink for base camp.
 
Fowl Play said:
I know it's been talked about allot here, but if you didn't catch it, T-Mobile's Starlink Satellite Messaging program officially went live today. https://www.pcmag.com/news/tmobile-cellular-starlink-tsatellite-launch-everything-you-need-to-know

No longer a Beta program, and supposedly even users on other networks can access their "T-satellite" program for $10 a month now.

I still might pack my InReach for purely SOS backup with the bare minimum plan, but this is pretty cool stuff. I'm also curious to see if we might find some better pricing from Garmin now that they have true competition. Previously, Garmin's service was superior to other options (Apple satellite, etc.) as the Iridium network had better coverage, but Starlink is poised to have way more coverage and fault tolerance then the Iridium network...
Click to expand...
My wife was in the beta testing. It worked really well where we were in the Idaho mountains.
 
I like that it would work with my iphone 13.

I wish they would give us a better idea of how/when the satellite capability activates. In a lot of places I go, there's just a whisper of cell service. Not enough to make a call at all and texting is dubious, at best. Would it automatically go on in these area?

Is there any limitation on who can receive texts? Does it work a little like the Verizon system where the receiver has to have the satellite enabled phone as well? (These are general questions, not directed to anyone here)
 
steelheadmike said:
I like that it would work with my iphone 13.

I wish they would give us a better idea of how/when the satellite capability activates. In a lot of places I go, there's just a whisper of cell service. Not enough to make a call at all and texting is dubious, at best. Would it automatically go on in these area?

Is there any limitation on who can receive texts? Does it work a little like the Verizon system where the receiver has to have the satellite enabled phone as well? (These are general questions, not directed to anyone here)
Click to expand...
On my wife's phone (android), there didn't seem to be any limitation on who received or who she sent texts to. When it switched to satellite mode, there was a little satellite avatar and Starlink in the top right hand corner.
 
$10/month for a limited time and $15/month after that for non-customers seems like a pretty smoking deal. Might have to try it out this fall.
 
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

I am a Starlink customer already and a fan - the service has been great so far. I'm looking forward to using it on my phone.

But I think it's way too early to say the InReach is dead. We're still a few years away from this being available in all modern phones as a standard feature. You need an iPhone 14 or later, an S23 or later, or a Pixel 9 or later. You also need T-Mobile - it's not even compatible yet with Google Fi even though that's an MVNO that rides on top of T-Mobile. And it's fairly power-hungry.

All of these will improve over time and by next year we'll be having a different conversation, but there are still folks who prefer the bulky, full-size Garmins instead of their phones in the field, even though modern phone apps are cheaper, more feature-rich, and much more up to date. I think we're a long ways away from the "death" of the InReach. 😀

Note: If you are a Google Fi user and on a device that supports dual SIMs (e-sim or physical) there are reports that you can get this now. You pay T-Mobile the $20/mo and add a t-mobile SIM. But this isn't officially supported so be ready to self-help if you have issues.
 
"At this point? Absolutely not. Starlink needs clear line-of-sight to the sky so it’s useless under dense canopy or in a deep canyon and a full canopy. What happens when you snap your leg on a packout in some hellhole covered in timber? Neither Starlink nor iPhone satellite messaging offer weather forecasts, tracking, or reliable 2 way communication in shitty terrain with dense canopy. inReach is built for abuse and they are fully waterproof and better battery life compared to phone.
Starlink + T-Mobile might be great for sending a text from an open ridgetop, but it’s not replacing inReach in the backcountry anytime soon.

Quotes pulled directly from beta testers using the T-Mobile Starlink Serice have stated regular interruptions in light or partial tree cover. Testers reported frequent interruptions, degraded performance and total signal loss in heavy tree cover. Some said that you needed a complete unobstructed view of the sky.
One tester reported that they had to relocate from remote canyon environments to get a clear view of the sky for it work. Another user stated that once they got further into the front range performance became sporadic with delays of 7-10 minutes, signal dropped intermittently even with clear view of sky and once in dense terrain it caused severe reliability issues.
 
I pay something like $12/month for my basic InReach subscription. Give me a few texts a month but I only carry it for emergencies so if I need to pay for more texting I'm fine with that. It's not that expensive. Having a dedicated device that is rugged and connected to the emergency response network is worth way more to me.
 
taskswap said:
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

I am a Starlink customer already and a fan - the service has been great so far. I'm looking forward to using it on my phone.

But I think it's way too early to say the InReach is dead. We're still a few years away from this being available in all modern phones as a standard feature. You need an iPhone 14 or later, an S23 or later, or a Pixel 9 or later. You also need T-Mobile - it's not even compatible yet with Google Fi even though that's an MVNO that rides on top of T-Mobile. And it's fairly power-hungry.

All of these will improve over time and by next year we'll be having a different conversation, but there are still folks who prefer the bulky, full-size Garmins instead of their phones in the field, even though modern phone apps are cheaper, more feature-rich, and much more up to date. I think we're a long ways away from the "death" of the InReach. 😀

Note: If you are a Google Fi user and on a device that supports dual SIMs (e-sim or physical) there are reports that you can get this now. You pay T-Mobile the $20/mo and add a t-mobile SIM. But this isn't officially supported so be ready to self-help if you have issues.
Click to expand...

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I struggle with the idea of being single device dependent in the backcountry between navigation, communication and SOS, but as was said above, a stand alone option like a epirb, plus sat communication on the phone could be a future solution.

Lots of outdoorsman are losing some fundamental navigation skills as we become more dependent on gps and sat maps. Your phone takes a dip in a lake or river, or just falls out of your pocket and suddenly you are lost with no means of communication or SOS function.

We should all be prepared for these situations, but let’s be frank, most are not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have had Starlink for a couple years without issue. The current global outage is interesting. I think Starlink still needs some vetting before it can be relied on in a emergency situation.
 
intunegp said:
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View attachment 910859
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Yes, this is the part I was talking about. I wasn't aware they discounted the rate, but you still need a device that supports a second SIM (physical or eSim). So for instance if you have a Pixel 8 you can't get it.

CNET has a summary listing supported phones here:
www.cnet.com

Everything You Need to Know About T-Mobile's New Satellite Texting with Starlink

Are dead zones a thing of the past? T-Mobile and Starlink's new satellite cell service thinks so. Here's what you need to know.
www.cnet.com www.cnet.com

Also, note that only some Starlink satellites have the right equipment to support this and those that do are just over the US. Even the US has a few spots where there's no coverage, particularly near the borders. You can check https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map for the latest. Most folks can probably not worry about this, but if you're going to be hunting in Africa, New Zealand, or even near the border (Coues hunters this may be for you) you may not get coverage.
 
Soon there wont be any escape from the rat race. Would save some ounces to not take an Inreach though
 
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