• Australia’s Telstra is the latest telco to team up with SpaceX’s Starlink to offer satellite-to-smartphone services
• But it’s not an exclusive relationship, as Starlink has long been working with a major Telstra rival on direct-to-cell service developments

Australia’s Telstra is the latest telco to team up with SpaceX’s Starlink, which operates a constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, to offer direct-to-cell (D2C) services that will enable people to be connected via their standard smartphones, even in the most remote of areas (and there are plenty of those in Australia). 

That Starlink is Telstra’s D2C partner is no surprise, as the two are already working together to offer satellite broadband services across Australia.

Now, Telstra has announced, it is working with Starlink to enable “satellite-to-mobile (direct-to-handset) text messaging to our customers in Australia,” with an initial focus on testing and refining an appropriate text messaging system ahead of a commercial launch, for which no timeframe was provided. “This will enable us to provide better coverage from coast to coast, especially for those in regional and remote areas.”

Telstra noted its terrestrial mobile network infrastructure covers 3 million square kilometers of Australian territory, reaching 99.7% of the country’s population of about 26 million people. But Australia’s land mass is 7.6 million square kilometres, so more than half of the country has no regular Telstra cellular signal. “This is where satellite technology will play a complementary role to our existing networks,” noted Telstra, which added that it expects the D2C service package to ultimately include voice, data and internet of things (IoT) device connectivity.  

The telco stresses that the D2C plans will not mean it is scaling back on its mobile network expansion or investment plans. Telstra claims it has invested AUS$11.8bn (US$7.3bn) in its national mobile network infrastructure during the past seven full financial years (its most recent fiscal year ended on 30 June 2024). “We have a continued focus on network resilience across all our technologies, architecture and network operations to make the network as reliable as possible. This includes making equipment more resilient in disaster-prone areas and increasing redundancy through adding diversified backhaul pathways, including using satellite backhaul solutions. We will continue this investment to improve our terrestrial mobile network, while exploring how satellite technology can play a role in remote areas of the country not covered by land-based coverage,” noted the operator.  

The development of D2C services makes a lot of sense in a country such as Australia, the majority of which is not covered by standard terrestrial communications networks. So much sense, in fact, that Telstra has already been testing the potential of D2C coverage with Lynk Global, which is focusing the capabilities of its LEO constellation on satellite-to-smartphone services. Telstra noted in this overview from February 2024 that it was working with Lynk Global “to explore and test direct-to-handset satellite technology as a potential way to extend mobile connectivity beyond our current terrestrial footprint.” The current status of that relationship is unclear and no commercial deal has been announced.   

And Telstra isn’t the only Australian telco working with Starlink on a D2C services launch, as Telstra’s main domestic rival, Optus, struck a deal with Starlink to develop services as long ago as July 2023 – see Optus taps SpaceX for satellite-to-phone coverage.

At the time, Optus said it planned to start offering its initial D2C text messaging service before the end of 2024, but that service is yet to be launched, which suggests that developing and delivering a reliable satellite-to-smartphone service across Australia might be even more of a challenge than anyone first thought: This is maybe why Telstra hasn’t committed to a launch date.

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV