Elon Musk has hinted that Starlink is on the verge of launching its direct-to-mobile internet service across its operational territories worldwide. This announcement follows SpaceX’s recent deployment of 42 new satellites, including 26 designed for direct-to-cell communication.
SpaceX engineer Ben Longmier revealed that this latest launch has increased the total number of satellites in the Direct-to-Cell program to 168. Musk noted that Starlink will initially partner with one network carrier per country and plans to eventually include all carriers.
Currently, Starlink’s direct-to-mobile service is available in the U.S. through T-Mobile. The service is designed to offer global connectivity for text, call, and internet services using existing LTE phones without any additional hardware or software changes.
Starlink has recently expanded to Botswana, bringing its operational presence in Africa to 15 countries and 105 worldwide since its launch in Nigeria in January 2023.
Starlink aims to introduce voice, data, and IoT services in the coming years. Although this new service might pose competition to terrestrial mobile networks, major telecom operators like MTN are already exploring collaborations with Starlink to extend their service reach.
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