KDDI Successfully Demonstrates Starlink's Direct to Cell with "au" service
Tokyo, October 23, 2024― KDDI today announced a successful demonstration of its upcoming Starlink Direct to Cell service that enables ubiquitous access to texting on "au" smartphones. The demonstration, conducted in Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture, confirmed that "au" smartphones, even when out of KDDI terrestrial service coverage, could directly connect with the Starlink Direct to Cell satellite, located at an altitude of several hundred kilometers, and send and receive SMS messages.
Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities enable ubiquitous access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal waters.
Leveraging Starlink Direct to Cell satellites and KDDI's national wireless spectrum nationwide, enabling connectivity in dead cell zones as long as there is a clear view of the sky. This will enhance KDDI's cellular connectivity to areas beyond the limits of traditional 4G and 5G networks including remote islands and mountains, providing peace of mind when customers need it most.
For more details, please visit https://www.au.com/english/lp/starlink/.
Additionally, regarding the realization of direct communication between Starlink Direct to Cell satellites and smartphones in Japan, KDDI provided necessary information, including the results of sharing studies with other systems, contributing to the formulation of technical conditions. This demonstration was conducted with a license for field testing.
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■About Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink delivers high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world. As the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit, Starlink Direct to Cell satellites can deliver seamless access to text, voice, and data for LTE phones across the globe. A growing number of global telecommunication carriers are already working with Starlink to ultimately deliver ubiquitous text, voice, and data wherever their subscribers can see the sky. Starlink's Direct to Cell works with existing phones and IoT devices with common LTE standards, requiring no changes to hardware, firmware, or downloading apps. Learn more at direct.starlink.com. Follow Starlink on X
- *Availability subject to regulatory approval. Starting with SMS with voice and data to follow.
- *The information contained in the articles is current at the time of publication.
Products, service fees, service content and specifications, contact information, and other details are subject to change without notice.
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