Ukraine is preparing to become the first European country where Starlink mobile satellite internet services will be available. This was announced by Alexander Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar. According to him, the company plans to launch a messaging service by the end of 2025, and mobile satellite broadband access will become available in mid-2026.

Field trials have begun under an agreement with SpaceX, the owner of a constellation of commercial satellites, signed at the end of 2024. This project will allow mobile devices to connect directly to satellites, bypassing ground towers, which is especially important for a country affected by military action.

“The first phase is messaging via apps such as WhatsApp and Signal, which will be available by the end of this year,” Komarov told Reuters in Rome. “And by the beginning of the second quarter of 2026, we will be able to offer mobile satellite internet and voice communications.”

At the same time, US operator T-Mobile also plans to launch data services on its Starlink-based satellite network from the beginning of October.

Kyivstar, part of the VEON holding company, is also working on listing on the US NASDAQ stock exchange. Komarov said the process is moving forward and he expects it to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. “This will be a historic step — the first direct listing of a Ukrainian company on the US stock market during the war,” he emphasized.

Komarov also noted that Ukraine's telecommunications infrastructure has withstood the attacks from Russia that have been escalating in recent weeks.