Australia could be close to catching up with the USA with Telstra testing satellite to smartphone communication. In the USA smartphones brands such as Apple and Samsung have been delivering satellite to smartphone technology via the Musk owned Space X network. Now there is talk Australians may have access to direct-to-mobile phone satellites within two years, potentially marking the end of the road for expensive, patchy and limited satellite phones, which have to connect to satellites tens of thousands of kilometres from Earth. US company T-Mobile is now accepting customers into a free beta program for Starlink’s mobile service, but it appears to be thus far limited to a trio of Samsung handsets. Meanwhile, US regulators gave SpaceX approval two months ago to supply text messaging, phone calls and internet access directly to mobile phones. In Australia it is possible to use a home phone, business phone or Cloud phone system through a Starlink based internet connection. Starlink satellite to mobile direct. For example, the company TelTel says on its website: “Simply use our VoIP phone, phone adaptor or even your mobile phone connected via cable or WIFI to your modem and make and receive phone calls …” But companies including SpaceX and Amazon are tipping vast resources into swamping the sky with Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites capable of connecting phones and satellites directly. On January 9, 2025, Telstra announced it was collaborating with Starlink to bring satellite-to-mobile texting to customers in Australia. “This will enable us to provide better coverage from coast to coast, especially for those in regional and remote areas.” The collaboration will initially focus on testing and refining the capability for Australian conditions, ahead of a commercial launch. “Australia’s landmass is vast and there will always be large areas where mobile and fixed networks do not reach, and this is where satellite technology will play a complementary role to our existing networks,” Telstra said. “As satellite technology continues to evolve to support voice, data and IoT we will explore opportunities for the commercial launch of those new services.” Analysys Mason chart.