Overview
- Virgin Media O2 announced a partnership with Starlink Direct to Cell to expand UK coverage in hard-to-reach areas.
- The O2 Satellite service is slated for the first half of 2026 and would make the operator the first in Britain to use Starlink for compatible phones.
- At launch, customers will get messaging and data service on supported handsets, with no voice or video calling.
- CEO Lutz Schüler highlighted Starlink as the leading constellation partner, and telecoms minister Liz Lloyd praised the deal as a benefit for rural communities.
- Coverage notes Starlink controls roughly two thirds of active low-Earth-orbit satellites, raising concerns about concentrated market influence.