Telstra currently works with Starlink to provide low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite home and small business Internet services and will be adding direct-to-device text messaging services for customers in Australia.
Telstra is the latest service provider to unveil direct-to-device (D2D) text messaging services with a satellite provider. The Australia-based operator is working with SpaceX's Starlink to provide its satellite-to-mobile technology to customers in Australia.
The service provider currently works with Starlink to provide low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite home and small business fixed Internet services. Telstra has also teamed up with satellite provider Eutelsat OneWeb to deliver OneWeb low-Earth orbit (LEO) mobile backhaul to customers in Australia.
Telstra said the D2D text messaging service with Starlink will provide improved coverage to customers in regional and remote areas. Telstra's mobile network covers 99.7% of the Australian population over an area of 3 million square kilometers. The company said it has invested $11.8 billion into its mobile network in Australia over the past seven years.
As satellite technology advances, Telstra plans to look into voice, data and IoT service opportunities.
Telstra's D2D service is currently in the testing phase and not yet available commercially. Telstra forecasts it will be available from most outdoor areas on mainland Australia and Tasmania where there is a direct line of sight to the sky.
D2D services ramp up
D2D services ramped up in 2024 with a number of service providers announcing plans to collaborate with satellite providers for text messaging services. In October, Amazon said it was developing technology to connect smartphones to its planned Project Kuiper constellation of LEO satellites.
T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are all working on satellite-based text messaging services. Many D2D providers such as Starlink have promised text messaging services initially with plans to add more bandwidth-heavy applications, including voice and video, at a later date.
"The first Starlink satellite direct to cell phone constellation is now complete," SpaceX's Elon Musk wrote on social media in December 2024. That's good news for T-Mobile, which plans to launch a D2D service with Starlink in the near future.
Both Verizon and AT&T and working with satellite provider AST SpaceMobile to develop their own D2D services.
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