Ammon News - Ukraine will become the first European nation to offer Starlink mobile services when leading operator Kyivstar launches messaging by year-end and mobile satellite broadband in mid-2026, Chief Executive Oleksandr Komarov said.

Field tests have begun under an end-2024 deal with Space X's commercial broadband constellation to allow tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's company to launch direct-to-cell services in the war-torn country.

Direct-to-cell devices connect to satellites equipped with modems that function like a cellphone tower, beaming telephone signals from space directly to smartphones.

"The first phase is over-the-top (OTT) messaging ... so messaging via WhatsApp, Signal, and other systems ... it will be in place at the end of this year," Komarov told Reuters in Rome.

"And probably at the beginning of 2026, let's be on the safe side, Q2 2026, we will be able to propose mobile satellite broadband data ... and voice."

SpaceX did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
US carrier T-Mobile will introduce a data service on its satellite-to-cell network, powered by Starlink, at the start of October, the company said in June. Reuters