Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- T-Mobile could soon offer a new promotion that will give eligible users a free year of Starlink satellite messaging.
- This promo will likely be available only to non-T-Mobile users who have already signed up for the Starlink beta and are ready to port their number into T-Mobile. Existing T-Mobile users will not have this offer.
T-Mobile has some great plans and deals that should convince fence-sitters to make the switch. However, some people need a bit more push to convince them, and T-Mobile may have just the right opportunity with Starlink. T-Mobile recently expanded its satellite messaging service with Starlink to all users in the US for free until July. If you want some more of that Starlink perk, you will soon be able to switch over to T-Mobile to get it for free for a long while.
According to The Mobile Report, citing an internal document they received, T-Mobile is launching a new promotion today that will offer eligible customers who switch to T-Mobile a free year of Starlink satellite cell coverage. The report mentions that the catch here is that this will likely be available only to new customers who have already signed up for the Starlink beta. Customers who receive the offer will have to port their existing phone number to T-Mobile before the Starlink beta period ends in July.
The report says the offer will work for any T-Mobile plan, not just the Go5G Next plan, which already gets free Starlink access. It will also be available only through T-Mobile’s Virtual Retail channel, i.e., online sales. You won’t be able to walk into a store to claim the offer. Since this is a targeted offer, you’ll have to watch for an email from T-Mobile detailing the promotion.
Given that Starlink service is an extra $15 per month per line, the deal is pretty sweet if you were already on the fence about switching to T-Mobile. You’d be able to score $180 worth of free satellite service per line, which will add up further with more lines.
However, note that satellite connectivity relies on you having absolutely zero cell tower connectivity. As my colleague C. Scott Brown found out, you won’t be able to use satellite messaging if you have even the faintest hint of a connection to a cell tower on the ground, even if you aren’t getting usable service.
There is no information on any such offer for existing T-Mobile users, though. You’ll likely end up paying $15 per month per line (discounted to $10 per month per line if you are part of the Starlink beta) after the beta ends, or you’ll have to subscribe to the highest tier Go5G Next plan.
