Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service is now available in five more countries. It’s partnered with big telecom companies like Rogers, One, KDDI, Optus, and Salt to offer direct-to-mobile service. This means people can use their phones to connect to the internet through satellites, not just cell towers.
According to Musk, Starlink’s system enables mobile phones to connect directly to satellites without extra equipment or special apps. “It just works,” he said in a post on X.
Starlink recently launched 42 new satellites, including 26 with direct-to-cell capabilities, to support its global expansion. The company plans to collaborate with one carrier per country initially, with the goal of eventually serving all carriers. Musk has promised access to communication services—texting, calling, and browsing—anywhere on land, lakes, or coastal waters.
In January 2024, Starlink successfully tested the service by sending and receiving text messages via T-Mobile’s network spectrum. While texting is now live, voice, data, and IoT services are set to launch by 2025.
Starlink, which began its African operations in Nigeria in January 2023, recently launched in Botswana, bringing its African presence to 15 countries and its global reach to 105 countries.
Even though Musk says Starlink won’t compete with regular cell phone companies, it could still affect companies like MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile. MTN, Nigeria’s biggest cell phone company, is already talking to Starlink about working together to reach places where cell service isn’t available.
