Virgin Media O2 has signed a deal with Starlink that will see it bring direct-to-cell services to the UK in the first half of next year.
The mobile operator clearly views the addition of satellite-based communications – mainly messaging and basic app functionality at the outset – as a competitive advantage; it is not shying away from telling us that it is the first in the country to buddy up with Elon Musk's Starlink, the poster child for direct-to-cell.
But there will be a race to market. The move puts VMO2 into direct competition with Vodafone, which has been flying the flag for satellite-based mobile connectivity in the UK for some time. Vodafone is an investor in and partner of AST SpaceMobile, which, like Starlink, operates a fleet of LEO satellites that can provide direct-to-cell services. The pair have carried out extensive testing, including a video call at the start of this year, and set up a Luxembourg-based wholesale joint venture business that will sell services to other operators across Europe.
