T-Mobile US and Starlink turned on their direct-to-device (D2D) service over areas in the US state of California where wildfires have burned more than 10,000 homes and structures.

The operator is making the early test service temporarily available to deliver wireless emergency alerts and SMS while also enabling emergency texting. T-Mobile noted SpaceX’s D2D constellation is not yet fully deployed.

It was temporarily used in October 2024 to provide emergency SMS texting for hurricane victims in the southeast US. 

In December 2024, T-Mobile opened a registration page for a beta test in early 2025, for SpaceX’s D2D Starlink service.

As of 10 January, the fires in Los Angeles, California and surrounding areas have killed 10 people and devastated entire neighbourhoods and cities, the Associated Press reported.

T-Mobile stated on 9 January that it has restored roughly half of the network sites that were impacted by commercial power loss.

T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering customers unlimited talk, text and data services for both prepaid and post-paid subscribers in areas impacted by the fires.