Starlink by SpaceX to offer free emergency SOS on ALL phones worldwide

A post on X by Elon Musk stating: After thinking it through, SpaceX Starlink will provide emergency services access for mobile phones for people in distress for free. This applies worldwide, subject to approval by country governments. Can’t have a situation where someone dies because they forgot or were unable to pay for it.

While Emergency SOS via satellite is literally life-saving, the implementation by smartphone companies is not going to be free, at least not for long. This defeats the purpose of the feature and could even be seen as a way to capitalize on someone’s desperation. Its efficacy also depends on satellite availability and coverage. SpaceX’s Starlink is about to solve all of these problems, as per a new claim by Musk on X.

Starlink is a subsidiary of SpaceX that offers global broadband connectivity via satellites, enabling users in even the most remote areas to have access to high-speed internet. As of today, it has more than 6,000 satellites in orbit — much higher than its rivals. Earlier this year, Starlink by SpaceX launched Direct to Cell service with T-Mobile, enabling texting, calling, and data across the globe on existing smartphones.

But there is one major snag (especially, for example, in South Africa): To offer global emergency services access via satellites, Starlink will need approvals from every country individually.

With such a potentially vital and life-saving service, it’s also going to be interesting to see if non-participating governments are going to be held civilly liable for any deaths of their citizens where such a call could have saved lives.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/spacex-starlink-free-emergency-sos-worldwide-elon-musk/