Wireless Carriers Form D2D Partnerships to Counter Starlink; Europe, Africa, and Latin America Expansion Accelerate
Key Questions
Why are wireless carriers forming a JV against Starlink?
The big three carriers created a defensive joint venture to counter Starlink's direct-to-cell ambitions, validating its moat while introducing partnership risks. T-Mobile maintains exclusivity with Starlink through 2027 despite exploring multi-sourcing options.
What recent expansions has Starlink achieved in Africa and Ukraine?
Partnerships with Airtel, Vodacom, and Safaricom accelerate African growth, while regulatory approvals came in Nigeria and Mozambique. Kyivstar launched Starlink Mobile light data service in Ukraine, expanding the direct-to-cell market.
How do carrier executives view Starlink's role in telecom?
AT&T's CEO states terrestrial networks remain core and views Starlink as complementary rather than disruptive. T-Mobile confirms ongoing Starlink ties but signals a shift toward diversified satellite sourcing for D2D services.
Starlink's hybrid terrestrial-satellite mobile strategy is gaining traction through Airtel/MTN, Kyivstar, NTT Docomo, Liberty/Kölbi, T-Mobile, and now publicly traded 4iG across Hungary, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. 4iG also identifies a potential sovereign-network use case, but approvals, economics, infrastructure requirements, and revenue materiality remain unclear amid competition from Amazon Leo/Globalstar and AST SpaceMobile.