Starlink is being used to provide wireless emergency alerts to cell phones from all carriers in North Carolina, according to Ben Longmier, senior director of satellite engineering for SpaceX. "We are also closely monitoring Hurricane Milton and standing by ready to take action in Florida," he wrote.

Elon Musk’s space-based internet satellites got special permission to act as cell phone towers in the sky, connecting people in blacked-out areas of North Carolina as they begin post-storm recovery efforts.

T-Mobile US and Starlink received permission from the FCC to make D2C connectivity available in areas of North Carolina hard-hit by Helene.

SpaceX’s direct-to-cell constellation has not been fully deployed, so all services will be delivered on a best-effort basis. The massive flooding from Hurricane Helene created swaths of “blackout zones,

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Sunday allowed Elon Musk's SpaceX and T Mobile (TMUS.O) to enable Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide coverage for cellphones in areas of North Carolina hard-hit by Hurricane Helene.