CommsDay Back Story of the Week – from CommsDay, Friday 6 March 2026
I have been overseas and unable to bring you the Story of the Week for the first two weeks in March. There is little point revisiting old stories that may have moved on in the meantime. So I have chosen a back story (note the changed heading to this particular newsletter) that is going to be with us for a long time. Space X (operator of Starlink) presented on its progress in delivering satellite-based mobile services at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. CommsDay covered the presentation.
Starlink unveils Starlink Mobile brand, outlines D2D satellite network
SpaceX has unveiled Starlink Mobile, a new brand for its direct-to-device satellite connectivity platform, alongside plans for a significantly upgraded constellation designed to deliver broadband-class connectivity directly to standard smartphones.
The system was outlined during a keynote at Mobile World Congress by executives Michael Nicolls and Gwynne Shotwell.
Nicolls said the platform intends to extend mobile connectivity into areas where terrestrial networks cannot
reach.
“At the time we started the direct-to-cell program in 2024, about 20% of the land area in the United States and roughly 90% of the Earth’s surface was uncovered by terrestrial mobile connectivity,” Nicolls said.
SpaceX said the first generation Starlink Mobile constellation now comprises 650 satellites, operating in low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 350 kilometres. “The constellation flies lower than any other satellite constellation,” Nicolls said. “That’s to optimise the link from the satellite to the user device as well as for space safety.”
The satellites connect to the broader Starlink network using optical inter-satellite laser links, allowing traffic to be routed across the constellation rather than relying on local ground gateways.
SpaceX said the system currently supports messaging, light data services and limited voice and video connectivity using standard LTE smartphones. According to the company, Starlink now operates across ϐive continents and has connected more than 16 million unique users, with around 10 million monthly active users.
“We expect that number to exceed 25 million by the end of 2026,” Nicolls said.
The mobile phone platform operates through partnerships with mobile network operators, using their licensed spectrum to communicate with user devices. SpaceX said it has 35 operator partners across 32 countries, including Telstra and Optus in Australia, alongside operators including T-Mobile, Rogers Communications, KDDI and One NZ.
SpaceX also highlighted the role of direct-to-device satellite connectivity during disasters or major network outages.
The company cited deployments during the Los Angeles wildfires, when satellite connectivity was activated in areas where mobile infrastructure had been damaged.
“Over 400,000 people connected during that terrible time. We sent over 250,000 SMS messages and over 150 wireless emergency alerts,” Shotwell said. She said more than 4.4 million users have connected to the system during disaster or emergency events. “Land-based connectivity is often the first thing hit when there is a disaster,” she said. “That’s why satellite capability is not only an augmentation for day-to-day connectivity but a critical element of emergency services.”
2ND GEN: SpaceX also outlined plans for a second-generation Starlink Mobile constellation designed to deliver substantially higher capacity. The new system is expected to begin launching in mid-2027 using SpaceX’s Starship rocket.
Nicolls said the next generation satellites will incorporate a signiϐicantly larger radio payload designed to improve the link between satellites and handheld devices. “The most critical piece of delivering a high-quality user experience from a satellite to a cell phone is having a really high-bandwidth link,” he said.
The satellites will use a phased-array antenna around ϐive times larger than the ϐirst-generation design, providing roughly 20 times greater link performance. The system will operate using the 3GPP 5G NR-NTN (non-terrestrial network) standard, which enables direct connectivity between satellites and conventional mobile devices.
Nicolls said the technology is designed to deliver an experience similar to terrestrial mobile broadband under favourable conditions.
“In ideal conditions a user could expect download speeds of up to 150 megabits per second,” he said.
Each satellite will support more than 100Gbps of downlink capacity and around 50Gbps uplink, with overall performance approaching that of the company’s broad- band Starlink satellites. Capacity will be increased through signiϐicantly greater spatial reuse, with 16 times more beams per satellite than the current system.
“The second-generation satellite will have nearly a hundred times the data density of a V1 satellite,” Nicolls said.
SpaceX said the new constellation will initially consist of around 1,200 satellites.
Starship’s large payload capacity will allow more than 50 satellites to be launched per mission, enabling rapid deployment.
“Our goal is to deploy a constellation capable of providing global and contiguous coverage within six months,” Nicolls said.
SpaceX said the service is designed to complement terrestrial mobile networks rather than replace them.
“Satellite is complementary to terrestrial networks,” Nicolls said. “It cannot provide the data density that terrestrial networks have, but it can augment terrestrial networks in the places where terrestrial networks cannot reach.”
The emergence of direct-to-device satellite systems comes as Australia debates legislation establishing a Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation designed to ensure nationwide outdoor coverage for voice and SMS services. The proposed regime, currently before the federal parliament, is intended to address persistent coverage gaps across regional and remote Australia.
Grahame Lynch and Tony Chan
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