Virgin Media O2 Satellite Service Goes Live with 4G Mobile from Space

The United Kingdom will today become one of the first countries in Europe to go live on Starlink’s latest Direct to Cell (DtC) and satellite based 4G mobile data (broadband) connectivity, as mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) switches-on its new O2 Satellite service for customers. Better yet, it’ll only set most customers back an extra £3.

At present around 650 of Starlink’s (SpaceX) c.9,800 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) support DtC (aka – Direct to Device) technology, which technically enables them to deliver global coverage of a fairly basic 4G mobile roaming service and supply it directly to unmodified Smartphones on the ground. The goal in the UK, at least for now, is to make it possible for customers of O2’s service to stay connected in even some of the remotest areas, where mobile signals either fail to reach (“not spots“) or are less reliable.

The new service, once applied, effectively boosts O2’s UK landmass mobile coverage from 89% to 95%, delivering a coverage uplift equivalent to an area around two thirds the size of Wales. The service is designed to complement O2’s existing mobile network, and customers will connect automatically when traditional cellular coverage is unavailable.

Speaking of which, O2 Satellite will also continue to keep customers connected in the rare event of a local (terrestrial) cellular network outage too, which gives the network operator significantly more resilience. But at launch there will be some limitations, which means it can currently only support text messaging and limited data connectivity across specific apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Google Maps and more.

O2 Satellite Compatible Apps at Launch:

• AccuWeather
• AllTrails
• BBC Weather
• Facebook Messenger
• Google Find Hub
• Google Maps
• Google Messages
• Google Personal Safety
• Samsung Weather
• WhatsApp
• X
• Yahoo Mail

Otherwise, the service, which is available as a £3-per-month bolt-on and will be included at no extra cost for all ‘Ultimate Plan’ customers in the “near future“, is initially also only available to customers with the latest Samsung smartphones (inc. Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra and S25 Edge). Support for other devices, manufacturers and apps will be introduced “soon“.

Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:

“This is a defining moment for UK mobile connectivity and a statement of our intent to keep innovating and ensure our customers can stay connected no matter where they are. By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two thirds the size of Wales for the first time.

We already have the UK’s largest 5G+ footprint and we’re not standing still, investing heavily this year in our mobile network to give O2 customers a brilliant, reliable service that they can depend on.”

Baroness Lloyd, Minister for the Digital Economy, said:

“This is a major achievement for the UK and demonstrates leadership in next-generation connectivity. Being the first in Europe to launch direct-to-device satellite data services puts the UK firmly at the forefront of mobile innovation. O2 Satellite is a boost for growth and connectivity and a strong signal of the UK’s leadership in the global digital economy.”

Stephanie Bednarek, VP of Starlink Commercial Sales, said:

“Delivering Starlink Direct to Cell in partnership with Virgin Media O2 underscores the importance of keeping people connected no matter where they are. For the first time, millions of people across the UK will have access to data, voice and video through apps, and messaging in remote areas where terrestrial coverage isn’t available.”

The development won’t come as much of a surprise because VMO2 had already said the new service would launch during “early 2026“. In addition, a number of ISPreview’s readers had also spotted (here) that it was live this week on the MCC (Mobile Country Code) of 234 (UK) and MNC (Mobile Network Code) of 02.

The service is currently harnessing only part of the B3 band (1800MHz) and so should be able to work indoors too, albeit with some limitations due to the significant signal attenuation that occurs when passing through walls etc. Overall this sounds like an incredibly useful and seemingly quite affordable add-on, which will be of particular interest to those who travel a lot around the UK (business or otherwise) or live in poorly served areas.

However, O2 Satellite is not the only DtD service gearing up for launch in the UK this year, with Vodafone (VodafoneThree) working alongside AST SpaceMobile to launch a similar product (here). Suffice to say that it will be interesting to see how the two services compare once both fully live, particularly in terms of price and performance. At £3 extra per month O2 has set quite an affordably cheap bar for Vodafone to beat.

On the flip side, it’s clear that at launch O2’s new service will be significantly hobbled by its limited device support, but hopefully they’ll improve that at pace in order to help fully realise the potential for this sort of service.

Finally, for those wondering why the service doesn’t deliver more than 95% coverage, that’s due to two reasons. Firstly, the service is currently limited in areas close to international borders due to regulation, and secondly, the service currently only works up to the 58th parallel North (about Inverness), due to the current orbit of satellites limiting coverage in the most northern latitudes. But this is expected to improve with time (Starlink’s main non-DtC broadband network already extends beyond this).