In addition to cooperating with T-Mobile to provide nationwide satellite Internet services in the United States, it is subject to the restrictions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Scope of approvalCurrently, it can only provide satellite network signals to areas where there are no base stations. Earlier, Starlink and New Zealand telecom operator One NZCooperation, making New Zealand the first country in the world to have nationwide satellite Internet services.
Due to the lack of Internet base stations in many rural areas of New Zealand, Internet reception in these areas is usually poor or even non-existent. Therefore, the cooperation between One NZ and Starlink is expected to enable more rural areas in New Zealand to enjoy a convenient Internet connection experience, and to use this to carry out digital transformation and drive the development of more digital industries.
However, as it is still in the early stages of construction, it currently only supports the transmission of text messages when connected via satellite network within New Zealand. At the same time, the data transmission speed is still relatively slow. Most text messages even take about 3 minutes to be successfully sent, and may even take more than 10 minutes.
At the same time, the number of mobile phones that initially support this service is limited, including only Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy S24 Ultra, and OPPO's recently launched Find X8 Pro. These mobile phones all support satellite direct connection technology. It is expected that more supported mobile phone options will be added starting in 2025. At the same time, there are plans to add call and Internet services that can be directly transmitted via satellite.
Currently, the service will be free for existing One NZ customers on monthly plans, but it is unclear whether it will also be free for new customers or those on other plans.
In addition to New Zealand, Starlink has already cooperated with local telecom operators in the United States, Japan, the Philippines, Switzerland, Chile, Peru, Indonesia and other countries and regions. Although there was news recently that it would cooperate with Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan, in the endRestricted government regulationsInstead, it cooperated with OneWeb on satellite internet services.
