Elon Musk’s Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has signed its largest-ever direct-to-cell partnership with global telecoms group Veon, granting access to more than 150 million potential users across Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The collaboration marks a major milestone in the race to connect smartphones directly to satellites, eliminating mobile coverage gaps in remote and underserved areas.
Under the agreement, Veon will integrate Starlink’s satellite connectivity into its networks, beginning with Kyivstar in Ukraine and Beeline in Kazakhstan. Kyivstar plans to launch the service in Q4 2025, followed by Beeline in 2026. Veon’s other major markets — Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan — are expected to benefit from the service in later phases. The Kazakhstan deal was formalized during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Washington.
“This is the biggest partnership in terms of addressable customer base in the world,” said Ilya Polshakov, Kyivstar’s Director of New Business, who led Veon’s satellite connectivity initiatives. The partnership remains nonexclusive, with Veon also exploring future collaborations with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, and Eutelsat OneWeb.
Veon CEO Kaan Terzioglu has emphasized rapid deployment, stating that while other satellite partnerships may mature by 2027–2028, “business development must begin today.”
The deal cements Starlink’s position as a leader in satellite-to-phone technology, expanding its growing ecosystem of telecom partnerships. The company currently serves 7 million users globally, with over 8,000 satellites in orbit—650 of which are dedicated to direct-to-cell services.
Starlink has existing agreements with T-Mobile (U.S.), Rogers (Canada), and other operators worldwide. Competitors AST SpaceMobile and Amazon Project Kuiper are also advancing their constellations, with commercial launches slated for 2026, intensifying the global race for universal mobile connectivity.
