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Optus has been forced to delay the introduction of its “straight-to-mobile” service with Starlink, which will eventually allow users in remote areas to make calls via satellite.
The technology was due to launch with texts late last year, but The Australian reports the pushback occurred because parent company SpaceX encountered regulatory hurdles in the US.
The update comes despite the technology launching commercially in the United States and New Zealand earlier this month.
In a statement, Optus said it was still “committed” to the technology and would continue to work with Starlink to determine “timelines that enable the best possible experience for customers”.
Starlink’s direct-to-cell technology is unique because it does not require customers to obtain specific hardware and will work on all compatible handsets. It works because its satellites essentially function as cell towers in space to expand terrestrial coverage into otherwise unreached areas.
“Over the past year, SpaceX has rapidly scaled the Direct to Cell network, launching a constellation of over 400 satellites,” said SpaceX in a statement announcing services in the US and New Zealand has gone live.
“In 2024, millions of messages were sent through Starlink Direct to Cell during beta testing and in emergency scenarios to provide critical connectivity to the public.
“The availability of the commercial messaging service is the first step in our vision of eliminating mobile dead zones and providing ubiquitous global connectivity using satellite-to-mobile technology.”
Starlink in January last year launched its first direct-to-cell satellite, which orbits a few hundred kilometres above Earth’s surface and flies at tens of thousands of kilometres per hour relative to users on the ground.
“This creates unique challenges, including the need to account for doppler shift, latency, and overcoming the low antenna gain and transmit power of terrestrial devices,” said SpaceX.
“Addressing these obstacles required rapid innovation from the Starlink team, including the development and engineering of new phased array antennas, custom silicon, and complex software algorithms to optimise beam size and placement.”
Telstra has also signed a similar straight-to-mobile deal with Starlink, while TPG is working towards a tie-up with Lynk Global.
It comes after Space Connect reported earlier this month how Starlink’s traditional antenna service is continuing to massively outperform NBN’s satellite rival.
The latest Measuring Broadband Australia Report gathered data from users in December 2024. It found that the latency of NBN’s geostationary satellite service, Sky Muster, averaged 663 milliseconds across all hours, compared to just 31 milliseconds on LEO rival Starlink.
Those figures are similar to the 665 and 30 milliseconds recorded in the previous report, which measured performance in September.
The numbers suggest Sky Muster would struggle to consistently stream high-quality videos or play computer games online.
LEO satellite constellations, such as Starlink, offer quicker services than traditional geostationary satellites, such as NBN Sky Muster, because they are closer to Earth.
The lower height means LEOs cover a smaller area and need to operate in larger, connected constellations to be effective.
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has the advantage of being able to launch thousands of satellites without paying external customers because it operates its own reusable rockets.
It’s currently thought there are around 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, with plans for a final constellation of 40,000.
This story was originally published by Cyber Daily’s sister brand, Space Connect.
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