Telstra and Starlink launch satellite-to-text service
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The news: Telstra is collaborating with SpaceX’s Starlink to roll out Telstra Satellite Messaging, the telecommunication's satellite-to-mobile text messaging product.
The context: The service will allow compatible users to receive a text from outdoor locations beyond the range of Telstra’s mobile network.
The initial rollout of the service, to be completed over the next few weeks, will be accessible to consumer and small business customers on month-to-month mobile plans and a Samsung Galaxy S25 device. The service is automatically added to eligible plans.
However, Telstra consumer executive Tom Beach noted in a blog post that service will be intermittent depending on a customer’s location, device and availability of Starlink direct-to-call satellites.
“This means customers are likely to find that some messages are sent or received almost instantly, while others may take many minutes or longer,” Beach said.
The company expects to expand the service to more devices and to include data and calls in the future, although it did not provide a timeline.
Telstra and Starlink first partnered in 2023 to deliver broadband services to rural and remote customers and announced it was working on satellite to mobile text messaging in January.
The source: Telstra media release
