Kyivstar launched Viber, WhatsApp and Google Maps via Starlink satellites. In six months, Ukrainians have sent over 10 million SMS messages through space. «As promised, we are reaching a new level of satellite communications in Ukraine,» said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov.
Kyivstar launched Viber, WhatsApp and Google Maps via Starlink satellites. In six months, Ukrainians have sent over 10 million SMS messages through space. «As promised, we are reaching a new level of satellite communications in Ukraine,» said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov.
The company announced the launch of a new stage of Starlink Direct to Cell (Starlink Mobile) technology — now subscribers can use messengers and navigation services via the satellite network even where there is no terrestrial mobile coverage. This is the launch of the Light Data mode, which opens data transmission via Starlink satellites in a test mode.
Viber, WhatsApp, and Google Maps are already working via the satellite channel at launch. According to the company, users can send text messages, photos, stickers, voice and video messages, as well as share geolocation and use navigation.
«This means that in places where there is no terrestrial coverage, people can stay connected in messengers: send texts, photos, stickers, voice and video messages. And also share geolocation, use maps and navigation, which in some situations can be critically important for life,» Komarov wrote.
According to Kyivstar, the previous stage of the project — satellite SMS — has already demonstrated high demand among Ukrainians. Over 10 million SMS were transmitted via Starlink Direct to Cell during the first months of the service’s operation, of which over 6 million occurred during the period of large-scale blackouts in January and February.
«The first months of Starlink Direct to Cell in Ukraine have confirmed what we believed from the very beginning: this technology is most needed in difficult situations,» said the CEO of Kyivstar.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs emphasizes that the development of satellite communications has not only technological but also security significance. «During a full-scale war, we have all learned that the most important message in the world can consist of just one symbol — a plus in a messenger. When enemy attacks cause the lights to go out and communication towers to fall, the ability to send this plus to mom or reset geolocation to brothers or rescuers is literally a matter of life,» said Stanislav Prybytko, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation.
To use the service, simply be outdoors in an area without mobile coverage. In this case, your smartphone will automatically connect to the Kyivstar-SpaceX network.
Light Data mode is currently available for Android smartphones with LTE support, and the company said it is working on expanding support to other devices.
The technology is in test mode and is designed to complement the terrestrial network, not replace it. According to company and regulator representatives, Ukraine is already among the first countries in the world to test Starlink Direct to Cell capabilities in real-world conditions.
Recall that SpaceX’s Direct to Cell technology allows Starlink satellites to operate as mobile base stations in space and directly connect regular LTE smartphones without additional equipment, special antennas, or separate applications.
