Thanks to the strategic partnership between the national operator Kyivstar and Starlink, Ukraine will become one of the first countries in Europe to launch Direct to Cell satellite communication. Kyivstar plans to launch a messaging system in a test mode first, and then mobile satellite broadband access. This was stated by Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov in an interview with Reuters in Rome during the IV Ukraine Reconstruction Conference (URC2025).
Currently, within the framework of the agreement with Starlink, operational tests of the technology have already taken place, which will allow for the launch of direct mobile communication services in Ukraine in a test mode via satellites, which will function as base stations, transmitting telephone signals from space directly to smartphones.
The CEO of Kyivstar stated that the company's main goal at the conference is to support the Ukrainian government and establish new business ties, in particular with Italian companies that wish to expand their operations in Ukraine.
Kyivstar, owned by international digital operator VEON, is also working on a listing on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the United States. Komarov said the project is moving forward, and he hopes to complete it in the third quarter of 2025.
Oleksandr Komarov, CEO, Kyivstar
In the first stage, which we will implement by the end of this year, messaging via SMS, WhatsApp, Signal and other messengers will be available. And in the second quarter of 2026, we will be able to offer mobile broadband satellite communication for data and voice transmission.
