Starlink's direct-to-cell satellite service for emergency alerts goes online in North Carolina as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton this week.

Starlink is being used to provide wireless emergency alerts to cell phones from all carriers in North Carolina, according to Ben Longmier, senior director of satellite engineering for SpaceX. "We are also closely monitoring Hurricane Milton and standing by ready to take action in Florida," he wrote.

The approval allows SpaceX to use radio frequencies leased from T-Mobile to provide what's called "Supplemental Coverage from Space" beamed from Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellite constellation.

Elon Musk’s space-based internet satellites got special permission to act as cell phone towers in the sky, connecting people in blacked-out areas of North Carolina as they begin post-storm recovery efforts.

"SpaceX and TMobile have been given emergency special temporary authority by the FCC to enable Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide coverage for cell phones in the affected areas of Hurricane Helene," said SpaceX on X, on October 6.

Direct-to-device (D2D) services from Starlink will be available in the parts of North Carolina most badly affected by Hurricane Helene.

SpaceX's Starlink service and T-Mobile have been granted temporary emergency capabilities to give those affected by the storm access to mobile coverage via satellites.

And now SpaceX clarifies special promotion Updated The free Starlink service Elon Musk and SpaceX so graciously promised for communities devastated by Hurricane Helene in the US is not actually entirely free,

To support recovery efforts in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene, SpaceX, and T-Mobile have temporarily deployed Starlink Cellular, providing emergency alerts and limited texting services. The Federal