Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov announced that 3 million of the company’s subscribers have already used Starlink satellite internet on their smartphones. He said that support for the Light Data function will be available in Ukraine in the future.
Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov announced that 3 million of the company’s subscribers have already used Starlink satellite internet on their smartphones. He said that support for the Light Data function will be available in Ukraine in the future.
«Since the launch of Starlink Direct to Cell in Ukraine on November 24, 2025, more than 3 million subscribers have already connected to the new technology, catching the Kyivstar-SpaceX signal. In total, more than 1.2 million SMS have already been delivered via satellite», Komarov noted in an interview with the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
The largest number of Direct to Cell users in Ukraine are located in Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Dnipro. Satellite internet also provides important connectivity in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, where the most active SMS exchange is recorded.
Oleksandr Komarov reported that the next stage in the development of Direct to Cell in Ukraine will be the appearance of the Light Data function, which should appear in 2026.
«Light Data is a special data transmission mode in which applications and messengers adapt to the satellite network: they will not support video calls, but will provide stable text communication and multimedia exchange in real time,» explained the head of Kyivstar.
Komarov said that to launch voice calls and mobile Internet, a number of technical conditions must be met, including:
«Starlink Direct to Cell is an evolutionary technology that develops along with the deployment of new satellites and the improvement of network solutions,» added Alexander Komarov.
Previously, satellite communication from Starlink became available to iPhone owners in Ukraine. Thanks to this, Kyivstar subscribers' smartphones connect to satellites directly — without additional equipment.
