Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
Recently, T Satellite service officially became available for both existing T-Mobile customers and those on other networks that want satellite backup for emergencies. I have since signed up for the service myself and had the opportunity to field test it alongside a Galaxy S25 Edge that is capable of utilizing Skylo satellites via Verizon’s network.
As someone who lives smack dab in rural America, there are plenty of dead spots within a 20-35 minute drive from me. I picked a few different spots that I knew for a fact had legitimate dead spots that would work well for testing purposes.
I brought along my own personal Galaxy S24 with T Satellite installed as well as the aforementioned Edge that was on loan in order to test Skylo side-by-side. The end result was an experience that was a bit more disappointing than I had expected, if I’m being honest.
Do you find satellite phone backup service a worthwhile addition? 1 votes Yes, in theory but it sounds like it needs work. 0 % Yes, it is still helpful in extremely dead zones. 100 % No, I don't think it's that useful. 0 % Other (Tell us in the comments) 0 %
Getting a signal is much harder than I thought it would be It didn’t take long to find a location with poor signal, but that wasn’t enough as it turned out. Both satellite backup systems require absolutely zero cellular signal before prompting a satellite connection. This means even if my phone couldn’t call, text, or use data, it still was attempting to connect to the cellular network due to the presence of a very faint signal.
To truly hit zero, I had to venture deep into the nearby forest until I found a spot far from towers but still clear enough for line-of-sight.
The trouble was that both phones kept bouncing between no service and a cellular signal too weak to use, which meant neither stayed disconnected long enough to trigger satellite mode very easily.
I got Skylo to connect first, though not without some work
After parking my car, I started walking around, and within a few minutes, my Skylo-compatible device prompted me to connect to the satellite. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.
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