T-Mobile’s T-Satellite Now Supports MMS—but Only on Certain Phones

T-Mobile launched its T-Satellite service earlier this month after months of testing. It enables text messaging, emergency alerts, and location sharing in areas with no cell coverage. So far, the service has only offered Short Messaging Service (SMS). However, T-Mobile’s T-Satellite network in the US now also supports Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but only on Samsung and Motorola phones at present.

T-Mobile’s T-Satellite silently activates MMS for some users

According to PCMag, T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service has quietly activated MMS for some phones from Samsung and Motorola in the USA. Thanks to the feature, the service stands out from other satellite-to-phone systems. Folks over at the tech publication tried and tested the MMS feature of the T-Satellite service in Southern California. During their testing, they were able to send photos, audio clips, and video files.

MMS features on T-Satellite work similarly to SMS messaging. Once you are out of the regular cellular network, your device connects to the T-Satellite network, and you can send multimedia messages to your connections. It’s worth mentioning that, similar to satellite-powered texts, users can expect some lag during the multimedia message transmission. In some cases, a single photo could take minutes to reach the recipient.

As of now, T-Satellite’s MMS feature only works on select Samsung and Motorola smartphones. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be working on Apple and Google devices as of yet. The company could support MMS through T-Satellite on devices from other manufacturers in the coming weeks.

What is the T-Satellite service?

T-Mobile launched the T-Satellite service in collaboration with Elon Musk’s Starlink, and it acts as a mobile network provided by satellites in space. The service aims to give users an alternative way to contact emergency services when regular cellular connectivity isn’t available.

Apart from T-Mobile users, Verizon and AT&T consumers can also sign up for the T-Satellite service. In the beta testing, these users were able to sign up for the service using an online portal. However, the company now requires non-T-Mobile users to visit a store to activate its T-Satellite emergency texting service. If they’d rather not go to a store, they can dial 1-800-937-8997 to sign up for it.

As for the charges, T-Mobile Experience Beyond subscribers can access the T-Satellite service at no cost. However, T-Mobile charges other plan users $10 per month for the service. Verizon and AT&T users can opt for the service by paying the same $10/month charge. These two top telcos will also launch their own versions of satellite texting services later this year.