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.

"Even during a full-scale war, we are doing things that other countries cannot do, having been developing for many years... Our private sector is actively developing. We are waiting for such a positive revolution in telecom," Fedorov commented to journalists.

According to Komarov, the exchange of text messages of any messengers for Kyivstar subscribers is planned for the fall of 2025, and this service will be the first stage of implementing Direct to Cell technology in Ukraine. So far, the test zone near Zhytomyr is about 200 sq km, there are other similar test zones across Ukraine, he added.

The mobile data transfer function, which will allow you to open web pages and send multimedia messages, is still being developed and tested. It will become available to more users gradually - as the network bandwidth improves and after the launch of new satellites into orbit, the head of Kyivstar noted. He added that over the year of preparation for this project, SpaceX's Direct to Cell satellite constellation has grown from 60 to 600 satellites and continues to grow at the same pace.

"Testing such advanced technology is a breakthrough for Ukraine... For us, it is an investment in security and the future. Direct to Cell is a strategically important technology that will allow us to stay connected in the most difficult conditions," Komarov emphasized.

Starlink Direct to Cell (direct satellite connection to a smartphone) is a technology that will allow Ukrainians with 4G smartphones to connect directly to satellites in the event of a loss of terrestrial network signal. According to Kyivstar, more than 16 million subscribers of the company already have smartphones that support this technology, about half of these phones have special settings for this, while the other half will also work, but less efficiently.

As Komarov noted, Kyivstar became the first operator in the country to take on the function of integrating satellite communication into its own telecom infrastructure, and Ukraine is the fifth country in the world with such technology. It is through the Kyivstar network that message processing, routing and user access management take place.

"In the test mode, the service will be free of charge for Kyivstar subscribers," the company's head said, adding that the service will remain free until the end of the war, although the fee paid for Elon Musk's SpaceX for this commercial contract is "big money" for Kyivstar.

During the test, the data download speed was 3 Mbps, while the upload speed was 0.5 Mbps, which approximately corresponds to 3G standards. The condition is the visibility of the sky overhead.

It was noted that Kyivstar is currently negotiating with leading smartphone manufacturers to update the software and provide this technology to the widest possible range of users of various phones. In the future, this will allow for stable data transmission and expand capabilities, in particular, to launch messaging via popular messengers: Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.

In addition, Kyivstar engineers will continue field tests throughout Ukraine to test the transmission of messages and mobile data in real conditions, which will help to understand the technical features. The company will regularly inform subscribers about all technical aspects of the implementation of the new service.

As of June 2025, Kyivstar served about 22.4 million mobile subscribers and over 1.1 million Home Internet subscribers. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cyber protection services, digital TV, etc. The company announced investments of $1 billion in Ukraine in 2023-2027.