Telecom Intelligence: Week of January 1, 2024 2024 opened with a rocket: SpaceX launched its first six direct-to-cell Starlink satellites — orbital cell towers designed to text ordinary phones through T-Mobile's spectrum — firing the starting gun on the satellite-to-phone race that would run all year. Apple started its year in the market's penalty box, sliding on a rare Barclays downgrade over soft iPhone demand — the first tremor in a quarter of China worries. And 23andMe rang in the new year by telling 6.9 million breach victims the incident was their own fault for reusing passwords, an instant case study in how not to handle disclosure.