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T-Mobile now offers 911 texting via satellite for free - for Verizon and AT&T customers, too

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T-Mobile's Text to 911 service is now available.

The option is available free of charge to anyone with a compatible smartphone.

T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T customers can sign up for it.

Imagine you need medical help, but you're in a remote and desolate location without traditional cell service. That's the sort of scenario T-Mobile's new Text to 911 satellite-based service aims to address.

Launched on Tuesday, T-Mobile's Text to 911 option is available to anyone with a compatible iPhone or Android phone. Yes, that includes Verizon and AT&T subscribers. The service is designed to work anywhere across the 500,000 square miles in the US not covered by terrestrial cell towers. All you need is a clear view of the sky to snag a signal from one of the 657 low-Earth orbit Starlink satellites used by T-Mobile.

Also: T-Mobile just made it hard for tech enthusiasts like me to leave - here's what changed

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