Telstra has launched its new Starlink-powered messaging service, offering a new form of connectivity for regional consumers in parts of Australia not covered by even the largest mobile network.
The rollout follows several months of testing, with Satellite SMS now available exclusively for Telstra customers using a Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra or Galaxy S25 Edge. Support for other devices will be coming at a later date.
Telstra consumer exec Tom Beach said that being able to send and receive text messages in places outside the reach of mobile networks represented a reinforcement of the company's commitment to pioneering new ways to keep Australians connected.
"As part of our collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell, eligible Telstra customers can enjoy an additional layer of connectivity to share text messages to friends or family when outside the coverage of our mobile network," he said.
Although this feature is rolling out to existing Telstra Mobile customers at no additional cost, it does come with a few caveats. For instance, you're limited to text-messaging so MMS is off the table for now.
Beach noted that satellite-to-mobile connectivity is expected to extend beyond text messaging to eventually cover data and making calls, but did not offer any specifics of about if or when that might becomes available to customers.
Another thing to remember here is that you'll also need to have a direct line-of-sight to the sky and will have to be within the Starlink's satellite coverage footprint to take advantage of Telstra's satellite SMS service.
For that reason, Beach was quick to frame the feature is a complement rather than a substitute for Telstra's own mobile network.
"Our mobile network will continue to deliver a faster, higher quality, and more reliable experience, supporting a broader range of services such as voice, web browsing, video calling, and streaming," he said.
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