Ukraine will be the first in Europe to launch Starlink mobile internet

Ukraine will be the first European country to offer Starlink mobile services. Operator Kyivstar is expected to launch messaging by the end of the year, and mobile satellite broadband in mid-2026.

This was reported by Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov in an interview with Reuters.

Testing has now begun under a deal signed in late 2024 with Space X. Communication will be via satellites equipped with modems. They will function like cell towers, transmitting phone signals from space directly to smartphones.

"The first stage is OTT messaging, that is, sending messages via WhatsApp, Signal and other services [...] It will be operational by the end of this year. And, probably, in early 2026, or for safety — in the second quarter of 2026 — we will be able to offer satellite mobile Internet and voice communication," said Komarov.

• In early June, Kyivstar informed that it had taken the first step towards implementing Direct to Cell satellite technology . The operator successfully connected its core network to the Starlink satellite infrastructure.

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