SpaceX’s Starlink is teaming up with the German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom to bring satellite-based mobile service to 10 countries across Europe. The new service, which is set to launch in 2028, will provide mobile coverage to areas that are currently hard to reach with traditional cell towers.
In a statement, Deutsche Telekom said the partnership will help them expand their network into areas with strict nature conservation rules or challenging terrain, where building new towers is difficult or impossible. This will be the first time Starlink’s more advanced second-generation satellites, known as V2, will be used in Europe for a mobile service.
The goal is to provide more than just basic connectivity. A Starlink executive said the service will “expand on data, voice, and messaging by providing broadband directly to mobile phones.”
The new service will be available in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
This is another major win for Starlink, which is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company is reportedly planning a massive IPO this year that could value it at as much as $1.5 trillion. Starlink already has about 9,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 9 million customers around the world. The company also recently got approval to launch another 7,500 of its new V2 satellites, which will be critical for this new European service.
