UK's Virgin Media O2 signs deal with Musk's Starlink for rural coverage

Britain's Virgin Media O2 said it had signed a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to boost mobile coverage in rural areas, initially with messaging and data services when it launches in the first half of 2026. VM O2, a joint venture between Telefonica and Liberty Global, said it would be the first British operator to use Starlink's more than 650 satellites to connect to compatible customer handsets.

Mobile networks in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries have signed deals with Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk's SpaceX, for direct-to-cell services. U.S. network T-Mobile launched commercial services in July, starting with texts before expanding to apps including WhatsApp.

VM O2's British rival Vodafone said in January it was working with partner AST SpaceMobile to roll out satellite connection to its European customers next year. Lutz Schüler, chief executive of VM O2, said on Thursday that Starlink operated the world's most advanced satellite constellation and was therefore the right partner to support its ambition to deliver reliable mobile connectivity across the UK.

VM O2, which is already using Starlink's satellites to provide mobile backhaul connections to some of its remote base stations, said it would initially offer messaging and data services directly to handsets. It said details on pricing would be released at a later date.