Telstra Satellite Messaging launches in Australia

As part of Telstra’s collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell, the telco has launched what it describes as Australia’s first satellite-to-mobile text messaging product: Telstra Satellite Messaging. Eligible customers with supported devices will be able to use the service when they are outdoors beyond the reaches of the Telstra mobile network coverage and within the Starlink Direct to Cell satellite coverage area, with a clear line of sight to the sky.

Telstra explained that, when its mobile network is unavailable, compatible devices on eligible plans will automatically seek to connect to the satellite network. Once connected to a satellite with Starlink Direct to Cell capabilities, the device user will be able to correspond via SMS with standard Australian and international numbers. The time it takes to send and receive messages will be dependent on the location, the device and the availability of Starlink Direct to Cell satellites; this means some messages will be sent or received almost instantly, while others may take many minutes or longer.

Telstra said the service will mostly benefit people who live or travel outside mobile networks in regional and remote parts of Australia, with the company’s engineers and employees having tested it right across the country. It is not as high-performance as the company’s mobile network and is not designed to be an emergency service, especially as you cannot text Australian emergency responders (eg, Triple Zero) directly.

For eligible Telstra customers (on a month-to-month mobile plan) with a Samsung Galaxy S25 series device that has been updated with the latest Android software or iPhone 13, 14, 15 or 16, Telstra Satellite Messaging will be added to the core plan inclusions, with the customer rollout set to be completed soon. The service will in future be expanded to more devices, while satellite-to-mobile capability is eventually expected to extend beyond text messaging to include data usage and making calls.

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