T-Mobile and SpaceX have been working on bringing Starlink satellite connectivity to customers for a while, and it’s flipping on the feature early to help.

T-Mobile has opened up emergency texting over SpaceX's Starlink satellite network for areas affected by Southern California's fires.

Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy, and Products at T-Mobile, said: “T-Mobile Starlink is the first major low-earth orbit constellation in the world paired with terrestrial cellular spectrum, making the phone in your pocket work in areas of the US that have never, and probably never will, have ground based coverage.

SpaceX is providing free Starlink internet terminals and service as LA wildfire response, along with Direct-to-cell texting for T-Mobile.

The direct-to-cell Starlink system in Southern California will deliver wireless emergency alerts and power SMS texting to 911 services.

T-Mobile US and Starlink turned up their direct-to-cellular service in areas of California impacted by wildfires.

T-Mobile teams with SpaceX to deliver Starlink's awesome Direct-to-Cellular (DTC) service over impaced areas of the California wildfires.

T-Mobile and SpaceX have activated their satellite-based texting service for T-Mobile users impacted by wildfires in Los Angeles. T-Mobile is also offering free unlimited talk, text, and data for customers in specific unaffected areas of Los Angeles County (Altadena,

Satellite-based texting is no longer limited to a select group of devices. T-Mobile and Starlink have announced a partnership that brings satellite messaging capabilities to any smartphone on T-Mobile’s network,