Motorola Solutions has paired with T-Mobile to add satellite connectivity to its smart radios.

The partnership means that Motorola Solutions' APX NEXT smart radios will be able to access T-Satellite with Starlink’s low earth orbit (LEO) direct-to-cell satellite network.

T-Mobile launched T-Satellite across the US last July as part of the carrier's direct-to-cell satellite partnership with SpaceX.

According to Motorola, its partnership with T-Mobile enables its radios to leverage T-Priority from T-Mobile, meaning that first responders have more capacity and faster speeds.

T-Priority, launched in September 2024, claims to deliver up to five times greater network priority to help insulate first responders from public-driven congestion. 

Motorola Solutions also noted that its tie-up with T-Mobile sees the carrier gain access to its mission-critical AI tools, which include Assist and SVX, which is a body-worn AI assistant, remote speaker microphone, and body camera that pairs with APX NEXT.

“We’re proud to work with T-Mobile to seamlessly broaden the reach of first responders’ trusted communication lifeline - their radios,” said Mahesh Saptharishi, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Motorola Solutions.

“This level of real-time resilient connectivity advances our vision to put the power of human-AI interaction - increasingly a need-to-have for public safety workflows - into the hands of every first responder in the US.”

To date, Motorola Solutions has deployed more than 13,000 two-way radio networks globally, along with more than 500 broadband push-to-talk deployments with more than 1.3 million users worldwide.

The company explained that its APX NEXT satellite-connected radios are able to maintain connectivity across LMR, 5G, and LEO satellite.