Ukraine to launch Starlink Direct to Cell mobile satellite communication in the fall

Ukraine will launch Starlink Direct to Cell mobile satellite communication in the fall. This technology will allow Ukrainians to stay connected without mobile network coverage via SMS, for example, in the mountains, during bad weather, network failures, or power outages.

This was reported by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

To use it, you will need a 4G smartphone with a SIM or ESIM card. The main condition for the technology is direct visibility of the sky.

Communication will be via satellites equipped with modems. They will function like cell towers, transmitting phone signals from space directly to smartphones.

Ukraine is among the first countries in the world, along with the USA, Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand, to launch Direct to Cell technology (direct satellite communication with a smartphone). The technology is currently in beta testing.

Mykhailo Fedorov and “Kyivstar” CEO Oleksandr Komarov tested the technology and exchanged the first text messages via satellite directly from smartphones.

• In early June, Kyivstar reported 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.
• Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov stated that the operator will launch messaging by the end of the year, and mobile satellite broadband in 2026.

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