Today’s Launch Makes Ukraine the First Country in Europe Where Starlink Direct to Cell is Available to Customers
KYIV, Ukraine, Nov. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kyivstar (Nasdaq: KYIV; KYIVW), Ukraine’s leading digital operator, today announced that Starlink Direct to Cell satellite connectivity by SpaceX is now available for testing to all Kyivstar subscribers. Ukrainians can now stay connected even in dead zones. Kyivstar is the first in Europe to provide access to satellite technology to enable sending and receiving SMS messages in areas where terrestrial connections are unavailable. The next connectivity phase will enable light data with voice and video capabilities.
Now every Kyivstar subscriber using a 4G smartphone can stay connected even during prolonged blackouts, in hard-to-reach areas, or in remote villages. The technology will be especially important for Ukrainians in areas near the front line and in de-occupied territories where the terrestrial network is damaged or under restoration, as well as for rescuers and humanitarian missions – everyone who needs to remain connected in challenging conditions. This new capability will also support traditional commerce and business, enabling farmers, the financial sector, and other industries to stay connected and work more efficiently in places where this was previously impossible or difficult.
When terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable and text-based messengers don’t work, SMS remains the primary and most reliable channel of communication – to share your coordinates, ask for help, or let your loved ones know you are safe.
“In Ukraine, staying connected means staying safe,” said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar. “To ensure this for millions of Ukrainians, we have been equipping our network with batteries and generators that provide up to 10 hours of continuous coverage when the grid power is not available due extended blackouts. Today we are introducing the cutting-edge Direct to Cell technology which will increase this resilience significantly, starting with a vital functionality that is critical for our people. We are committed to carrying our partnership with Starlink further, ensuring the resilience of connectivity across Ukraine, which today becomes the first country in Europe to introduce Starlink Direct to Cell.”
The primary purpose of Starlink Direct to Cell technology, network “Kyivstar-SpaceX”, is to provide basic connectivity in areas without mobile coverage. Due to the limited bandwidth of satellite channels, we are starting with the basic but vital functionality: sending and receiving SMS messages. But SMS is only the first level of this technology – voice calls and mobile data are planned to be added in the future.
Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Mykhailo Fedorov stated, “Ukraine ranks first among European countries launching Direct to Cell technology. This is an important step in developing infrastructure that will ensure connectivity even in areas without traditional networks. Despite all the challenges of wartime — constant Russian attacks on infrastructure, blackouts, and network damage — we continue to advance innovative solutions, because reliable connectivity under any circumstances remains one of our key priorities.”
Currently, access to the Starlink Direct to Cell technology is compatible only with Android smartphones with 4G (LTE) support. Integration with iOS is expected soon. To receive the network “Kyivstar-SpaceX” signal, you simply need to be outdoors in an area without mobile coverage. Access to the technology is provided to all Kyivstar subscribers at no additional cost, according to their existing tariff plans – so they can always stay connected in critical moments. The technology covers the entire territory of Ukraine, except for occupied areas, border zones, and combat zones.
“Direct to Cell is an important safety technology that ensures access to connectivity and emergency services even outside mobile network coverage. NCEC has supported its testing in Ukraine because, in wartime conditions, this is critical for protecting our citizens and demonstrates the country’s ability to implement cutting-edge technologies. At the same time, the introduction of any new technology should be based on thorough testing and compliance with relevant technical requirements, and its further implementation should be harmonized with European standards,” said Liliia Malon, Chairwoman of NCEC (National Commission for the state regulation of electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum and the provision of postal services.
Starlink Direct to Cell is not a replacement for a terrestrial network but rather a complement to it. The technology has already proven its effectiveness worldwide, operating in the most extreme conditions – including during hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. We are entering a new era of mobile connectivity, and this is just the beginning; as satellite technology capabilities grow, we plan to develop our services accordingly.
About Kyivstar Group Ltd.
Kyivstar Group Ltd. (“Kyivstar”, the “Group”) is a Nasdaq-listed holding company that operates JSC Kyivstar, the country’s leading digital operator and the first Ukrainian company to have its shares traded on a U.S. stock exchange.
The Group’s companies provide a broad range of connectivity and digital services, including mobile and fixed-line voice and data, ride-hailing, e-health, digital TV, and enterprise solutions such as Big Data, cloud, and cybersecurity.
Together with VEON, Kyivstar intends to invest USD 1 billion in Ukraine between 2023-2027, through social investments in infrastructure and technological development, charitable donations and strategic acquisitions.
For more information, please visit
https://investors.kyivstar.ua
.
Nasdaq tickers: KYIV; KYIVW
About JSC Kyivstar
JSC Kyivstar is Ukraine’s leading digital operator, serving more than 22.5 million mobile customers and over 1.2 million home internet fixed line customers as of September 30, 2025. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, and more. JSC Kyivstar is advancing new telecommunication technologies in Ukraine and together with VEON plans to invest USD 1 billion in this direction between 2023–2027.
The company contributes to overcoming the challenges of wartime and, over the past three years, has allocated more than UAH 3.4 billion to support the Defense Forces, its subscribers, and the implementation of social projects. Kyivstar has operated in Ukraine for 27 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the digital communications market, a top employer, and a socially responsible company.
Additional information:
[email protected]
,
www.kyivstar.ua
.
About Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink Direct to Cell is the world’s only and largest constellation with more than 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit that delivers data, voice, video and messaging to devices in mobile dead zones. Connecting more than 8M customers across five continents and counting, Direct to Cell satellites work with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. Acting like a cell phone tower in space with the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly across the Starlink network over lasers to any point in the globe, it enables network integration similar to a standard roaming partner. Starlink is the world’s largest 4G coverage provider and partners with Mobile Network Operators all over the world . Learn more
here
and follow
@Starlink on X
.
Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as the phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to, among other things, Kyivstar’s Direct to Cell technology launch and development plans as well as Kyivstar Group’s ability to achieve anticipated results and business objectives. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks relating to Kyivstar’s Direct to Cell technology launch and development plans as well as Kyivstar Group’s ability to achieve anticipated results and business objectives, among others discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in the final prospectus filed by Kyivstar Group with the U.S. Securities and exchange Commission (“SEC”) on July 22, 2025, as amended and supplemented from time to time, and in any other subsequent filings with the SEC by Kyivstar Group.
