Ukraine is one of the first countries in the world to test Starlink Direct to Cell: connection will be available during bad weather and blackouts
13 August 2025 07:57
Ukraine is among the first countries in the world to launch Starlink Direct to Cell technology in time of war. Every smartphone will have a satellite connection. This was announced by First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“Together with Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov, we tested Starlink Direct to Cell. This technology will allow Ukrainians to stay in touch without mobile network coverage via SMS,” the statement reads.
How Starlink Direct to Cell will work
Fedorov emphasized that thanks to satellite technology, users do not need to buy expensive equipment – a 4G smartphone with a SIM or ESIM card is enough.
Ukrainians will be able to stay connected in hard-to-reach places: in the mountains, during bad weather, network failures or blackouts. The main condition for the technology is a clear view of the sky.
“During the meeting, we successfully exchanged the first text messages via satellite right from our smartphones,” said Fedorov.
He also noted that Ukraine is among the first countries in the world, along with the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand, to launch Direct to Cell technology.
The technology is currently undergoing beta testing, and the official launch is scheduled for this fall.
Phased launch of the service
Starlink mobile internet will be launched in two stages. The first stage involves the launch of messaging via popular applications such as WhatsApp and Signal. This feature is expected to become available by the end of 2025. At the second stage, in the second quarter of 2026, the technology will allow users to make voice calls and connect to full-fledged broadband mobile Internet without the need for a traditional network.
The implementation of such a project makes Ukraine a leader in the European satellite mobile communications market. Even in the United States, similar services will be available only from October 2025, so the launch in Ukraine will take place almost simultaneously or even earlier.
What you need to know about Starlink – the next-generation satellite internet
Starlink is a global satellite Internet access system developed by SpaceX under the leadership of Elon Musk. Its main goal is to provide stable, fast, and affordable Internet anywhere in the world, regardless of the quality of the ground infrastructure. It is a fundamentally new model of communication based not on fiber-optic cables or mobile towers, but on a constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth in low orbits.
Unlike traditional satellite systems that operate from a geostationary orbit at an altitude of more than 35,000 kilometers, Starlink satellites are located at an altitude of about 550 kilometers. This significantly reduces the signal delay (latency) and ensures faster data exchange. As a result, users receive the Internet at speeds of up to 200 Mbps and ping at the level of a regular mobile or home Internet.
The first Starlink satellites were launched in 2019. As of 2025, the company already has more than 6 thousand active satellites, and this number is constantly growing. In the future, SpaceX plans to increase the number of satellites to 42 thousand, which will create a continuous coverage of the Earth. Each user receives a special terminal, the so-called “dish,” which automatically searches for a signal and connects to the satellites in real time. Installation requires no special knowledge and takes a few minutes.
Starlink has become especially relevant in situations where traditional infrastructure is either destroyed or out of service. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was Starlink that provided backup communications where other channels were down. The first terminals arrived in Ukraine in February 2022, and since then, this system has become indispensable for the military, volunteers, medics, and local authorities. It has made it possible to maintain coordination, conduct evacuations, provide assistance and maintain the Internet in shelters and frontline areas.
A new stage of development will be the launch of Direct-to-Cell technology, which allows you to connect to the satellite without a terminal: directly from your smartphone.
Today, Starlink is a game-changing tool in communications, defense and humanitarian response. It demonstrates how private innovations can solve challenges that the state or traditional infrastructure cannot handle.
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