Rogers Starlink Pricing Revealed? T-Mobile’s Plans Give Us a Clue

SpaceX’s Direct-to-Cell is a satellite texting service that lets any compatible smartphone send and receive messages, leveraging its Starlink constellation network.

The first cellular partner to go live with this service is T-Mobile in the U.S., which expanded its beta testing yesterday to any customer on any carrier, according to Tesla North.

T-Mobile also revealed Starlink Direct-to-Cell pricing for the first time, and with this info, we may be able to predict what this service will cost in Canada, when Rogers launches the service.

According to T-Mobile, here’s what it is charging for Starlink Direct-to-Cell, which includes access for AT&T and Verizon customers too:

• Free Beta Period: Available to all users, including AT&T and Verizon customers, until July.
• T-Mobile Go5G Next, Go5G Business Next, & T-Priority Plans for first responders: Included for free after July.
• T-Mobile Customers on Other Plans: $15 USD/month per line after July; sign up before March at $10 USD/month
• AT&T & Verizon Customers: free until July, $20 USD/month after

So it’s clear that the Direct-to-Cell access will be a paid service of course, and if we convert the US pricing to CAD, we get the following rates, which we suspect could be a ballpark estimate of what Rogers would charge:

• Early adopter discount: $14.30 CAD/month (possibly rounded up to $15 CAD)
• Standard rate: $21.45 CAD/month (maybe rounded down to $20 CAD?)
• Non-Rogers customers: $28.60 CAD/month (maybe $30 CAD per month?)

We can imagine Rogers possibly bundling Starlink Direct-to-Cell into its most expensive wireless plans, while also offering it as standalone monthly service too.

Direct-to-Cell is also live for texting in New Zealand through carrier One NZ in beta, which went live in December. Their Starlink pricing is available at no extra cost on select plans (starting from $45 NZD/month; or about $36.40 CAD), limited to those on a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and OPPO Find X8 Pro.

Now why would someone want to pay for Starlink Direct-to-Cell? It allows you to use your iPhone or other compatible smartphone for satellite messaging. If you’re someone that spends time in the back country or you travel along rural highways and roads that have terrible or non-existent cell coverage—staying connected in emergencies can be life-changing.

Starlink Direct-to-Cell would eliminate the need to carry a Garmin satellite communicator like its inReach Mini 2. You get better battery life with the Garmin but you need to pay for the satellite subscription service.

Here are the compatible smartphones (as of writing) that support Starlink Direct-to-Cell (no modifications necessary):

• Apple iPhone 14 and later (including Plus, Pro & Pro Max)
• Google Pixel 9 (including Pro, Pro Fold, & Pro XL)
• Motorola 2024 and later (including razr, razr+, edge and g series)
• Samsung Galaxy A14, A15, A16, A35, A53, A54
• Samsung Galaxy S21 and later (including Plus, Ultra and Fan Edition)
• Samsung Galaxy X Cover6 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and later
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and later
• REVVL 7 (including Pro)

T-Mobile’s website explaines, “We worked closely with Apple and Google to make T-Mobile Starlink the default satellite connection on their smartphones.”

Apple currently offers free satellite messaging, known as Emergency SOS via Satellite, is available for iPhone 14 and later models to let you connect with emergency responders. The free service will end in November 2025 for iPhone 14 series customers. Apple hasn’t shared any pricing yet on what it will charge for this service.

What makes Starlink Direct-to-Cell different is you can text any number you want directly, just like regular texting. The ability to use data with Starlink Direct-to-Cell will come later, as the constellation continues to expand beyond its current 451 satellites (and counting every week).