Vector illustration by WangXiNa on Freepik.

Airtel Africa plans to bring Starlink Direct to Cell to its customers under a new partnership announced Tuesday. The telco will be the first mobile network operator in Africa to offer Starlink Direct to Cell service. 

Airtel Africa said that satellite-to-mobile service is set to begin in 2026 with data for select applications and text messaging. The rollout will proceed in line with country-specific regulatory approvals. 

“Airtel Africa remains committed to delivering great experience to our customers by improving access to reliable and contiguous mobile connectivity solutions. Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell technology complements the terrestrial infrastructure and even reaches areas where deploying terrestrial network solutions are challenging,” commented Airtel Africa Managing Director and CEO Sunil Taldar. 

This comes after Airtel Africa signed a separate agreement with Starlink in May of this year to bring Starlink’s broadband internet service to its customers. The company operates in 14 markets in Africa. 

Airtel Africa is owned by Indian telecommunications company Bharti Airtel, which is also a backer of OneWeb and was one of the financiers to rescue the constellation from bankruptcy. 

Starlink Direct to Cell service, which uses unique satellites within the Starlink constellation, is working with a number of mobile network operators around the world to offer satellite-to-cell service to consumers on their phones. It was first launched with T-Mobile in the U.S. earlier this year and recently went live in Ukraine with MNO Kyivstar and in Canada with Rogers.