• 2 min read
Starlink Mobile brings satellite links to Italy
SpaceX is piloting Starlink Mobile in Italy with Fastweb+Vodafone, letting standard 4G phones connect to satellites where ground coverage is missing.
Image: iXBT
SpaceX has announced a pilot launch of Starlink Mobile in Italy, bringing satellite connectivity to standard 4G smartphones in places where terrestrial mobile coverage is unavailable. The company said the service will roll out through an agreement with operator Fastweb+Vodafone.
The first testing area will be the Apennine Mountains in central Italy, where difficult terrain and low population density make conventional mobile infrastructure expensive and hard to build. If the trial succeeds, the service is expected to expand to other hard-to-reach parts of the country.
The key feature of Direct to Cell is that Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit act like cellular base stations. Users will not need a special phone, a new SIM card, or extra hardware. Switching from a standard mobile network to the satellite network will happen automatically.
Recommended reading
Instagram ban complaints surge as 4,000 sign petition
At the first stage, the service will support messaging, including SMS and MMS, along with internet services and apps such as WhatsApp and Google Maps. For now, though, the technology does not support regular voice calls, including emergency calls over the satellite network. That means users in remote areas will still need terrestrial coverage or dedicated satellite phones for voice communication.
Culture Editor
Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.
via iXBT
