The service will employ direct-to-cell technology, which works by connecting a mobile device equipped with special hardware directly to a satellite network. 

This makes it suitable for remote locations and areas affected by conflict but comes at the cost of sluggish transfer speeds. 

“While this is a great solution for locations with no cellular connectivity, it is not meaningfully competitive with existing terrestrial cellular networks,” Musk has said about the technology. 

The satellites, despite not being susceptible to conventional shelling, can still be targeted by jamming attacks that block signal flow between the devices on the ground and those in orbit. 

According to Reuters, Russia has ramped up such jamming attacks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

The deal between Starlink and Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar will not be the first time Kyiv has benefited from Musk’s burgeoning satellite network, as Starlink already supplies Ukraine and its military with internet access. 

Kyivstar expects to roll out the text messaging service in the fourth quarter of 2025 and later introduce other functionalities such as phone calls and data services. 

Starlink will also offer the technology in the U.S. and seven other countries, including Japan and New Zealand.