Musk's Starlink secures largest direct-to-cell deal

Highlights

• Starlink signs biggest direct-to-cell partnership with telecoms group Veon, covering 150 m potential customers.
• Service launches in Ukraine's Kyivstar in Q4 2025, followed by Kazakhstan's Beeline in 2026.
• Deal remains non-exclusive as Veon pursues talks with Amazon's Project Kuiper and AST SpaceMobile.

Elon Musk's Starlink has secured its largest direct-to-cell agreement yet with telecoms operator Veon, granting access to more than 150 million potential customers across five countries, both companies announced on Thursday.

The partnership will enable Veon to integrate Starlink's satellite connectivity service into its networks, starting with Beeline in Kazakhstan and Kyivstar in Ukraine. Veon also operates in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.

Direct-to-cell technology allows ordinary smartphones to connect to satellite networks in space without additional equipment, addressing coverage gaps in remote areas.

"This is the biggest partnership in terms of addressable customer base in the world," Ilya Polshakov, Kyivstar's new business director who led Veon's satellite connectivity efforts, told Reuters. There will be more announced soon, he added.

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Rollout plans ahead

Kyivstar plans to launch the service in the fourth quarter of 2025, with Beeline Kazakhstan following in 2026. The Kazakhstan agreement was announced during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Washington on Thursday.

"Beeline Kazakhstan's partnership with Starlink is a prime example of how global technology can strengthen national infrastructure," said Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister and minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development to Reuters.

The partnership remains non-exclusive, allowing Veon to pursue agreements with other satellite providers. Chief executive Kaan Terzioglu told Reuters in August that Veon was in discussions with Amazon's Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile and Eutelsat OneWeb.

"These plans with other players will be in 2027, 2028. I don't want to wait. I want to develop business today," Polshakov said.
Competition in the satellite-to-smartphone market is intensifying. AST SpaceMobile has already signed deals with Verizon and Saudi carrier STC, while Amazon's Project Kuiper expects initial commercial launches in 2026.

Starlink currently operates more than 8,000 satellites, with 650 dedicated to direct-to-cell services, serving over seven million users globally across 11 countries including partnerships with T-Mobile in the United States and Rogers in Canada.