Pull up T-Mobile’s T-Satellite page and you might notice something missing. The “with Starlink” tag that’s been part of the branding since day one is gone.
As spotted by PCMag, T-Mobile removed “with Starlink” from the T-Satellite logo and intro text on its main consumer page, and SpaceX and Starlink Mobile aren’t mentioned there at all anymore. It’s not a full cleanup, though. Support and business pages still mention Starlink and tell customers they might see “T-Mobile SpaceX” or “T-Sat+Starlink” on their phones when they’re connected to a satellite.
T-Mobile hasn’t said a word about why. But it’s hard to ignore the timing. Just days ago, T-Mobile made its satellite joint venture with AT&T and Verizon official, and that venture is designed to work with multiple satellite operators.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is building Starlink Mobile as a would-be competitor to the carriers. T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan has already said he isn’t worried about Starlink stealing customers, but quietly taking a partner’s name off the marquee says something too.
Before anyone panics: nothing about the service itself has changed. T-Satellite still runs on SpaceX’s satellites, it’s still included with Experience Beyond, and it’s still $10 a month for most everyone else, including AT&T and Verizon folks who add it without switching.
So is this the start of a breakup or just T-Mobile putting its own brand front and center? Too early to tell. If T-Mobile starts talking up other satellite partners, or the joint venture picks a provider that isn’t SpaceX, that’ll be the real tell. Until then, your phone will keep finding a satellite the same way it always has.
Source: PCMag