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Ukraine successfully tests Starlink's direct-to-cell technology
Kyivstar tested Starlink's direct-to-cell satellite messaging enabling 4G phones to connect directly to satellites, with 16 million subscribers already having compatible devices, the company said.
- On August 12, 2025, Kyivstar carried out an initial trial of Starlink’s satellite technology enabling direct communication to standard smartphones in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, successfully exchanging messages during the demonstration.
- This test followed Kyivstar's December 2024 agreement with Starlink and aims to address connectivity loss from infrastructure damage during the ongoing war.
- The demonstration showed data speeds near 3G levels, routed through Kyivstar's network, enabling text messaging without additional equipment on 4G-enabled phones.
- Kyivstar plans a commercial launch of messaging services in the fourth quarter of 2025 with the service free during testing, while wider mobile data availability depends on satellite deployment.
- This breakthrough integration bolsters Ukraine’s telecommunications resilience and reflects VEON’s $1 billion investment commitment to develop robust infrastructure amid conflict.
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Kyivstar tests Starlink Direct to Cell satellite technology in Ukraine for launch in autumn
CEO of the largest Ukrainian telecommunications operator Kyivstar Oleksandr Komarov and First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov exchanged the first messages sent directly from smartphones via the Starlink Direct to Cell satellite on Tuesday in a field near Zhytomyr, demonstrating to journalists a new technology in test mode that will be launched for all the company's clients this fall.
VEON’s Kyivstar Delivers First Messages via Starlink in Direct to Cell Satellite Connectivity ...
Dubai and Kyiv, August 12, 2025 – VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator, today announces that Kyivstar, its digital operator in Ukraine, has successfully conducted a test of satellite and terrestrial network integration using Starlink Direct to Cell…
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