Spain's MasOrange launches Starlink direct-to-cell trial

MasOrange has signed a deal with SpaceX’s Starlink to run Spain’s first trial of the company’s Direct to Cell satellite service in the northern province of Valladolid. The pilot will test Starlink’s ability to connect standard mobile phones directly to satellites, without extra hardware.

The agreement puts MasOrange among the early operators in Europe experimenting with satellite-to-mobile links, a technology aimed at improving coverage in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Results from the Valladolid trial will help determine how and where MasOrange might use Starlink’s service more widely in Spain.