• MTN Zambia tests Starlink satellite service connecting phones directly from space

• Direct-to-device technology enables connectivity in remote areas without towers

• African telecom operators expand satellite partnerships to reduce coverage gaps

MTN Zambia has successfully tested the delivery of telecom services to subscribers directly from space using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation. The South African group’s Zambian unit plans a commercial launch within weeks, as African telecom operators increasingly look to close the continent’s digital divide.

In a statement published on Friday, March 6, MTN Zambia said the Starlink Direct to Cell technology works with existing LTE/4G-compatible devices, provided they have a clear view of the sky. The system enables connectivity even in some of the most remote areas.

Under this model, known as Direct to Device (D2D), satellites act as cellular relay antennas in space. Connected to the Starlink network via laser links, they relay signals anywhere on the globe, enabling integration similar to a standard roaming arrangement.

“This service will allow customers to access data, voice and video services through compatible applications, even in the most remote areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable,” MTN said in the statement shared on social media.

Available services include voice and video calls via WhatsApp, access to the MoMo and MyMTN apps, as well as navigation and weather applications. Additional services are expected to follow.

D2D initiatives gather pace in Africa

Like MTN, several African telecom operators are exploring D2D technology.

On March 3, Axian Telecom announced an agreement with U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile, which operates the BlueBird low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The network will be integrated into Yas’s core infrastructure across its markets to provide voice, video, data and internet connectivity.

In December 2025, Airtel Africa signed an agreement with SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, to launch the Starlink Direct to Cell satellite connectivity solution starting in 2026.

“Starlink’s Direct to Cell technology complements terrestrial infrastructure and makes it possible to reach areas where deploying networks is difficult,” Airtel Africa Chief Executive Sunil Taldar said at the time. “We are very excited about this collaboration with Starlink, which will set a new standard for service availability across all 14 of our markets.”

MTN Group announced in December 2023 that it was exploring partnerships with several LEO satellite operators, including Lynk Global, AST SpaceMobile, Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Omnispace.

D2D was one of two approaches under testing. In March 2025, MTN successfully conducted a phone call through Lynk Global’s satellite network in South Africa.

In April 2023, Telecel Ghana, previously known as Vodafone Ghana, signed an agreement with Lynk Global to “provide 100% mobile coverage to Ghana’s 31 million inhabitants using Lynk’s space base stations.” The companies had earlier signed a similar agreement in September 2021 covering the Central African Republic.

A potential tool to close the digital divide

African telecom operators view D2D and satellite technologies more broadly as a way to accelerate efforts to close the continent’s digital divide. Unlike traditional backhaul solutions, the approach does not require telecom towers, reducing infrastructure investment.

In a report published in February 2025, the GSMA said D2D could complement existing mobile networks by extending services to remote and sparsely populated areas while strengthening network resilience and emergency connectivity.

The technology could connect the 4% of the global population still without mobile broadband, the organization said, provided users have a compatible device and subscription.

In Africa, the coverage gap remains significant. About 9% of the population, mostly in rural or isolated areas, still has no access to mobile networks.

These regions are also the hardest and most expensive to cover with terrestrial infrastructure. Deployment costs increase sharply for the final 1% to 3% of the population, often making expansion economically unviable for both operators and governments.

In that context, D2D offers a complementary solution that can provide limited connectivity capacity at relatively low marginal cost.

According to GSMA estimates based on Starlink projections, a constellation of around 15,000 satellites could allow nearly 65 million people to simultaneously use a service at roughly 2 Mbps. With 42,000 satellites, that figure could reach around 180 million users.

Technical limits remain

Despite its potential, large-scale deployment of D2D technology in Africa faces several challenges.

The technology is still in the testing phase worldwide. Starlink, the market leader, had roughly 650 D2D satellites in orbit at the end of 2025, according to the GSMA.

In practice, most users will not rely regularly on direct satellite connectivity. Terrestrial networks already cover 96% of the global population, and most mobile usage occurs indoors, where satellite signals are weakened by building structures.

Distance also poses a major technical constraint. A smartphone may be 1 kilometre from a ground antenna but about 550 kilometres from a satellite. The satellite signal must therefore compensate for a path loss up to 300,000 times greater than that of a terrestrial antenna.

Even with satellites operating at lower orbits of about 330 kilometres, the loss remains more than 110,000 times greater. Increasing signal power sufficiently is neither economically nor technically straightforward, and smartphones cannot compensate for the loss on their own.

Network capacity is another limitation. The announced speeds, about 17 Mbps for Starlink and 120 Mbps for AST SpaceMobile, represent the total capacity available within an entire satellite coverage area, not the speed available to each individual user.

If a satellite covers an area roughly 25 kilometres in diameter (about 490 square kilometres), all users in that zone must share the capacity. In dense urban areas, that could mean more than one million people, and often over 100,000 even in rural regions.

Isaac K. Kassouwi