During the first quarter of Super Bowl LIX, T-Mobile and Starlink made a commercial announcement that hints at where the future of backcountry communication is headed. ⁠ ⁠ The companies are now offering the chance to try out texting on a new satellite network for free from anywhere in the backcountry in the lower 48. That means even when you’re out of cell range you can still text back and forth with friends and family like normal — and contact emergency services, in the event of a disaster. This service uses a new satellite network from Starlink/T-Mobile that orbits closer to the earth and is specifically designed for phones. And it’s not just for T-Mobile customers, this service will also be available to AT&T and Verizon customers, so long as their phone is unlocked and they have an eSIM. While T-Mobile says the number of openings in their Beta program is essentially unlimited, they are going to roll out the program in batches. So the sooner you sign up, the longer you’ll have to tes...