Feb 9 (Reuters) - T-Mobile said on Sunday it

will launch its satellite-to-cell service, powered by SpaceX's

Starlink, in July for $15 a month, as the U.S. wireless carrier

aims to eliminate mobile dead zones and extend connectivity to

remote areas.

Shares of T-Mobile rose about 4% in premarket trading on

Monday.

The move could mark a pivotal shift in mobile connectivity,

bridging the gap between traditional cell networks and satellite

technology to ensure seamless coverage anywhere on Earth.

T-Mobile said 500,000 square miles of the U.S., which is

unreachable by terrestrial cell towers, can now stay connected.

The carrier began a wide-scale beta trial of the service on

Sunday. The company will provide the service free for customers

till its launch, after which it will be included in the

carrier's premium Go5G Next plan at no extra cost.

For other plans, customers who sign up for the trial will

get a 33% discount when the service is commercially launched,

the wireless carrier said.

The carrier is also offering the T-Mobile Starlink service

directly to all wireless users, including customers of rival

telecom firms AT&T ( T ) and Verizon without having to

switch.

The beta launch will offer text service via satellite, while

voice and data features will be added later, the company

announced during the Super Bowl game on Sunday.

"This is something that nobody else in the U.S. has done,

and one of the big distinctive things this network has is that

it works across almost all smartphones from the last four

years," Mike Katz, president of marketing, strategy and

products, told Reuters.

T-Mobile has been working closely with Apple ( AAPL ) and

Alphabet's Google to "ensure that this experience is

integrated directly into their OS (operating system), and this

will be the default satellite system across both of those

phones," Katz said.