Elon Musk's Starlink will give Ukraine 'uninterrupted' cell service
Elon Musk’s Starlink is set to give Ukraine “uninterrupted” service through its satellite network through a partnership with Kyivstar (VEON), the country’s largest mobile operator.
Kyivstar said its deal with the SpaceX subsidiary will make Ukraine one of the first nations to have access to Starlink’s direct-to-cell service. Starlink completed its direct-to-cell phone constellation on Dec. 4, when it sent 13 satellites into low orbit. More than 300 of Starlink’s 6,894 satellites in orbit are direct-to-cell capable, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.
Kyvistar expects to begin using Starlink for some messaging services during the fourth quarter of 2025. Voice and data transmission services will come later.
“Working with Starlink, we will now leverage space technology to bridge the connectivity gaps to extend our reach far beyond the current 160 million people we serve,” Augie Fabella II, the founder of VEON, Kyivstar’s parent company, said in a statement.
A key factor of the partnership is that the company’s subscribers will be able to communicate with others even if the terrestrial network is down. That would be a major help to civilians as the Russia-Ukraine war persists, as many residents rely on phone alerts to warn them of impending attacks.
Last December, Kyivstar was targeted with a powerful cyberattack that put millions of people in danger of not receiving alerts of potential air raids. The company’s CEO at the time said the attack was “a result of” the war with Russia; it was later reported that the attack, which cost Kyivstar $90 million, was likely carried out by Russian hackers.
“Kyivstar is the foundation of Ukraine’s resilience during the war. We strive to continue to do everything possible to ensure connectivity for every Ukrainian. Our cooperation with Starlink will be revolutionary in achieving the strategic goal of ‘4G everywhere’,” Kyvistar CEO Oleksandr Komarov said in a statement on Sunday.
The agreement comes as Starlink’s popularity and Musk’s influence grows. Starlink has inked deals with several airlines, telecom companies, and cruise operators, among others. Its traffic tripled in 2024, according to Business Insider.
Last month, Musk — who leads several companies, including SpaceX and Tesla (TSLA) – joined President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NBC (CMCSA) reported that Zelenskyy thanked Musk for Starlink.
The U.S. sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the beginning of the war with Russia in February 2022, with Musk offering free access to the system, which was a valuable tool in its ability to fight back against invading forces. Ukraine received 10,000 Starlink terminals that year.
However, as the service grew more expensive, Musk threatened to cut off funding and restricted its use. In August, the Pentagon extended its contract with SpaceX to provide internet service in Ukraine into 2025 to keep 3,000 terminals online, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month.
