VEON, the parent company of the Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar, has signed an agreement with American billionaire Elon Muskʼs company Starlink to introduce direct-to-cell satellite communication in Ukraine.
This was reported by the press service of Kyivstar.
The direct-to-cell service can provide mobile connectivity on any 4G smartphone using a satellite signal where there is no traditional operator coverage. Or if the network is down due to military or man-made factors.
Kyivstar is expected to launch direct-to-cell with SMS and OTT messaging in the fourth quarter of 2025. Voice and data services will follow.
Thanks to the agreement, Ukraine will become one of the first countries to have access to Direct to Cell. This will significantly increase the resilience of the national communications infrastructure. Kyivstar will soon begin working on the dissemination of the technology.
"There is a lot of regulatory and technical work ahead on network integration, but I believe that by the end of 2025, Ukraine will become one of the first countries in the world to implement Starlinkʼs Direct to Cell technology," said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov.
- In January 2024, SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellites with direct connection to smartphones.