Overview
- Virgin Media O2 says customer rollout is planned for early 2026, making it the first UK operator to use Starlink Direct to Cell for handsets.
- Voice and video calls will not be available at launch, with pricing yet to be announced.
- The company expects availability as part of premium tariffs or as an add-on, similar to roaming, according to The Times.
- Executives and the telecoms minister presented the partnership as complementing Virgin Media O2’s £700m mobile network investment and tackling rural “not-spots.”
- Virgin Media O2 says coverage could reach about 95% of the UK after launch, leveraging Starlink’s large low-Earth-orbit constellation, though this is a company claim.