According to the president of Kyivstar, Oleksandr Komarov, Direct-to-Cell technology will be a free service for subscribers of the mobile operator for at least a year.
According to the president of Kyivstar, Oleksandr Komarov, Direct-to-Cell technology will be a free service for subscribers of the mobile operator for at least a year.
«Our vision is to provide the service for free for a year and see how events in Ukraine develop in terms of military risks. It would be nice if we provided these services for free until the end of the war, but this is a vision,» said Oleksandr Komarov in an interview with Forbes.
At the same time, the president of the mobile operator refused to disclose the details of the commercial cooperation with SpaceX, thanks to which the Direct-to-Cell service is provided.
«We pay companies for using this service, but the price does not depend on which technology is launched — SMS or calls. There is a step-by-step plan for implementing different technologies. It depends on both the configuration of our networks and the development of the satellite network. We have commercial relations with SpaceX for more than one year,» Komarov explained.
He also explained that one possible approach in the future is to add this service for free only to more expensive tariff plans. «This will stimulate some subscribers to switch to more expensive plans,» the president of the mobile operator expressed his opinion.
In addition, he believes that the availability of Direct-to-Cell technology will be an incentive for subscribers to switch from other operators.
«During each blackout in the country, the demand for SIM cards increases. After two or three months of stability, the spare SIM card is thrown away. I really hope that the Kyivstar SIM card with satellite communication service can become so important that it will not be thrown away,» Komarov voiced his aspirations.
As for the operation of Direct-to-Cell in the frontline zone, as the president of Kyivstar says, the technology will not work in a combat zone.
«The contact line is very dynamic. Communication work in this part of the country is a very sensitive issue not only for us, but also for SpaceX. The position is a civilian service that operates within the controlled territory of Ukraine. Another limitation is the border zones. At a distance of approximately 20-50 km from the border, the signal level of the satellite network will significantly decrease… This story is related to regulatory restrictions. We and operators abroad use the same spectrum. In order not to create interference for them, we are forced to do this,» said Komarov.
As dev.ua wrote the day before, Kyivstar has opened an SMS service via Starlink Direct to Cell for all subscribers.
Before that, Kyivstar expanded Starlink Direct to Cell testing to the entire territory of Ukraine.
