Direct-to-Cell

Direct-to-Cell Revolution: What It Is and When It Will Work in Your Country

In August 2022, SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a partnership to add Direct-to-Cell texting via Starlink satellites, enabling roaming coverage for remote areas using SpaceX’s constellation. SpaceX launched the first Direct-to-Cell–equipped Starlink satellites in early 2024, and by mid-2025 there were about 400 such satellites in orbit. On January 8, 2024, SpaceX successfully sent a text message from a regular smartphone via a Starlink satellite through T-Mobile’s network. Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service is expected to start with texting in 2024, add voice calls in 2025, and deliver modest data speeds later. AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 prototype uses a ~700 square-foot phased array

14 August 2025

No Signal? No Problem – Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell Satellites Are Eliminating Dead Zones

August 2022: SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a partnership to provide direct-to-cell connectivity via Starlink satellites, with texting expected in 2023–24 and voice/data thereafter. January 2024: SpaceX achieved the first SMS directly via satellite, enabling a two-way text conversation between ordinary smartphones relayed entirely through space after the first batch of D2C-equipped satellites launched. Gen2 Starlink satellites carry the Direct-to-Cell payload, and the smaller V2 Mini satellites launched on Falcon 9 in 2023–24 were equipped to support these tests. By late 2024, more than 400 Starlink satellites had Direct-to-Cell capability, enabling voice calls, video calls, and IoT tests such as Cat-1

3 June 2025

Connectivity · Innovation · Mobile Technology · Satellites · Starlink