# Starlink expects to connect ordinary phones within months

Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/s/starlink-expects-to-connect-ordinary-phones-within-months/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy.

- Speaker: [Elon Musk](https://realalpha.app/builders/elon-musk/) · Elon Musk is a business magnate, designer, and engineer. · Co-founded PayPal, founded SpaceX and xAI, and has been Tesla's CEO since 2008.
- Host: [Joe Rogan](https://realalpha.app/people/joe-rogan/) · Host, The Joe Rogan Experience
- Show: The Joe Rogan Experience
- Episode: [Joe Rogan Experience #2223 - Elon Musk](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/), Nov 4, 2024
- Moment: 2:32:10 to 2:34:32 of the episode (2 min), playing on https://realalpha.app/s/starlink-expects-to-connect-ordinary-phones-within-months/; the episode from there: https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9130

## Quote

> “That'll actually **connect directly to a cell phone** unmodified.”
> — [Elon Musk](https://realalpha.app/builders/elon-musk/) at [2:33:37](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9217) · The Joe Rogan Experience

## Takeaways

1. Direct-to-cell service would work with unmodified phones
2. Musk expected it to turn on within a few months
3. Bandwidth would be lower, but useful for basic communications

## About this segment

Elon Musk says direct-to-cell service should launch in a few months, with far less bandwidth than a dedicated dish. It could still support texts, pictures and medium-resolution video.

From “Joe Rogan Experience #2223 - Elon Musk”, Nov 4, 2024. [Watch the full episode](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/)

## Transcript

Transcribed by machine (Whisper) from the episode’s audio, so a word may be off here and there.

[2:32:15](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9135) starlink the starlink yes the starlink connection uh it'll be like being on the ground well i was telling you how i used starlink when i was in utah i was in the mountains of utah there was no cell phone service anywhere near and we had full youtube we had text messages facetime everything phone calls it was nuts yeah and it was this big that cigar box yeah it's crazy it's so light when i brought it out there like that's it or this is it let's just plug it in and the guys i was in camp with are like this is crazy yeah the whole camp was like sharing it so like 10 people yeah using the the wi-fi signal right it's nuts yeah and then you know that's the beginning i mean I mean, what you're at right now is, like, what version?

[2:33:01](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9181) This is Starlink Mini, right? So this is, like, a very small version. How much smaller can it scale down from that? Well, there's a certain area that you need. Like, the bigger the area, the more you can – Higher your bandwidth? Yeah, because you're, like, trying to catch these, like, photons, essentially. So you can think of the area of the antenna is like the more air you have, the more photons you can catch.

[2:33:34](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9214) But we have a direct-to-cell capability as well that we've been launching that will turn on probably in a few months. That'll actually connect directly to a cell phone unmodified. but but because the cell phone is a much worse antenna than a dedicated antenna it'll be about a hundred times less bandwidth but still you know you'll be able to like do text messages you know pictures like medium resolution videos like I think one of the cool things about the new phone the new iPhone the iPhone 16 I got it and I was in the mountains last month and I was text messaging with satellites yeah iMessages right and receiving just text yeah just text yeah but still pretty impressive yeah yeah i mean what are we what are we going to be looking at a hundred years from now i mean when you're a hundred years from now i hope

[2:34:22](https://realalpha.app/v/7qZl_5xHoBw/?t=9262) civilization's around yeah that'll be a win yeah yeah what are the chances that we fuck this whole