Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said that it’s preparing to expand its testing of Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell (D2C) satellite service to all areas of Ukraine, apart from border zones, temporarily occupied territories and areas where fighting is happening amid the ongoing invasion by Russia.
The expansion marks the second wave of Kyivstar’s test of Starlink's LEO satellite-based D2C service after it began testing the service in July. Kyivstar has already secured regulatory approval from the Ukrainian National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and the Provision of Postal Services (NCEC) to test the service on frequencies used by the telco under its license.
Kyivstar sees D2C – also known as direct-to-device (D2D) satellite – as a key technology for ensuring continuous communications and sustainable business operations in difficult conditions, from remote mountainous areas to places directly affected by the Russian invasion.
Kyivstar said the technology will be especially useful during protracted blackouts, in frontline and de-occupied territories, for humanitarian de-mining operators and State Emergency Services operations.
Kyivstar said its engineers will test the technology in real conditions to assess its effectiveness in various scenarios - from emergencies to daily use.
“Starlink Direct to Cell testing is an important step towards creating an additional communication system that complements our ground-based mobile infrastructure,” said Ilya Polskakov, director of new business development at Kyivstar, in a statement. “The technology will allow businesses to serve customers where communication is not available, and users to stay in touch even in the most difficult moments.”
Kyivstar added it will ensure compliance with all safety standards during the test, which it also said will not affect the quality of its terrestrial mobile service.
NPEC head Lilia Malon said the regulator will carefully monitor the tests to make sure D2C “does not deteriorate the operation of existing networks, does not create radio interference and meets all technical and regulatory requirements.”
Kyivstar plans to launch D2C services for messaging platforms such as SMS, WhatsApp and Signal to all subscribers by the end of this year, with full-scale voice and data services expected to follow in the second quarter of 2026.
Kyivstar also plans to us Starlink’s D2C capabilities to support the country’s financial services and digital payments infrastructure via a partnership with Mastercard announced last month.
