Thanks to this agreement, Ukraine will be one of the first countries to gain access to the innovative Starlink service — Direct to Cell. This will significantly enhance the resilience of the national communication infrastructure, as stated in the press release from Kyivstar.
Kyivstar is expected to begin offering Starlink Direct to Cell services, enabling SMS and OTT messaging, in the fourth quarter of 2025. The next phase will implement support for voice calls and data transmission.
“Kyivstar has done tremendous work by investing in 4G connectivity in Ukraine, expanding coverage to remote areas and improving the energy resilience of its network. This partnership once again confirms our strong commitment to Ukraine and will significantly enhance the reliability of our services through satellite technologies. We are excited to collaborate with Starlink to position Ukraine as a global leader in the implementation of Direct to Cell satellite communication,” commented Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group.