Virgin Media O2, one of the UK’s three mobile network operators, took analysts and reporters into the mountains of Snowdonia in northern Wales this month to demonstrate O2 Satellite, the Starlink-powered backup service it launched earlier in 2026. The trip, reported by Light Reading on 19 October 2026, was based in the town of Caernarfon and ended with a hike to Aber Falls to find somewhere with no mobile signal at all.
There, on a drizzly and mist-filled day, VMO2’s Rob Joyce got a handset onto the satellite, sent text messages and made an internet-based voice call, according to the outlet. The service rests on an agreement VMO2 struck with Starlink, the satellite arm of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, around this time last year.
Key facts
- O2 Satellite costs VMO2 customers an extra £3 (US$4) a month, Light Reading reports.
- About 650 Starlink satellites currently support the direct-to-device service, according to Joyce, VMO2’s director of mobile access engineering.
- VMO2 shares a 5MHz sliver of 1800MHz spectrum between cellular and satellite to deliver 4G connectivity via Starlink.
- The deal lifts VMO2’s landmass coverage from about 89% to 95%, the outlet reports.
- Texts and internet-based voice calls work; ordinary voice calls do not.
Why it matters
The technology on show, known as direct-to-device (D2D) or direct-to-cellular (D2C), sends a signal straight from orbit to an ordinary handset with no dish and no local tower. Light Reading frames it as a way for phone users to stay contactable in the remotest areas for the price of an ice cream, and says only the most churlish would argue it is not worth the money.
It is the same architecture behind direct-to-device deals with mobile operators elsewhere, and the Welsh demo is a rare field account of what the first generation actually delivers.
What the demo showed
Satellite connection was confirmed on screen by the letters “SAT” appearing where a customer would normally see “4G” or “5G”, the outlet reports. But orbital paths meant there was not always a satellite directly overhead in north Wales, leading to gaps in coverage, according to Joyce.
Starlink is for now restricted to supporting basic data services, Light Reading reports. “It doesn’t do native voice calling yet, so it’s a pure data service,” Joyce said in a presentation before the trek, adding that the service is there for reassurance of coverage beyond the current cellular footprint rather than high-bandwidth applications.
How much capacity there is
Joyce told the group customers should be able to enjoy speeds of about 4 Mbit/s. “We estimate 4 Mbit/s per spot beam, and these satellites have about 50 spot beams,” he said, according to the outlet, explaining that each spot beam covers a diameter of about 50km and that O2 Satellite subscribers in that area share the capacity. He acknowledged there would be a problem if they all tried to stream the World Cup.
Video streaming would be ambitious, Light Reading reports, and is not how VMO2 markets the service.
Filling in the not-spots
VMO2’s terrestrial network already reaches about 89% of UK landmass thanks to a UK initiative with other telcos called the Shared Rural Network, the outlet reports. The six percentage points that Starlink adds are equivalent to about two thirds the area of Wales. On the day, rival BT-owned EE’s terrestrial service was largely unavailable in the area, according to Light Reading.
Joyce also said VMO2 might be able to avoid building new terrestrial sites in rural areas and rely on Starlink as a more economical alternative.
What could improve
Starlink’s roadmap should lead to improvements, Joyce said. He pointed to its recent purchase of 800MHz spectrum in the US, 14MHz in total: “If they are going to build satellites that do 800MHz, when they fly across Europe, we can use that 800MHz,” he told the outlet, noting VMO2 holds its own 10MHz allocation in that range plus spectrum in adjacent bands.
A newer generation of satellites and an increase to about 15,000 — a far larger constellation cleared for phone service — would give VMO2 and other customers much more bandwidth, Joyce said, putting it at 20 times or 100 times the capacity depending on how much spectrum is deployed. At that point, he said, people out on the hills would be able to stream movies and make voice calls.
Still not a cellular replacement
Joyce was adamant satellite will never fully replace cellular, according to Light Reading. Speaking from a hotel dining room in Caernarfon, he said it is hard enough to push a signal from 10km away through windows and plasterboard walls, and that from 350km away, through tile roofs, aluminium reflective foil and three storeys, there is no way of reaching indoors.
Second-generation Starlink satellites will increase the number of spot beams and shrink each beam’s diameter to around 25km, the outlet reports, but Joyce said that would still fall short of the capacity and coverage needed deep indoors. Asked whether Musk is going to challenge the cellular operators, his answer was that he cannot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why couldn’t the demo team connect to the satellite straight away?
According to Light Reading, the phones’ default settings mean the satellite cannot be used while a normal mobile signal is present, and VMO2’s own cellular coverage kept refusing to disappear. The group had to hike to Aber Falls to find a genuine "not-spot" before satellite connectivity could be established, after initial frustrations the outlet said may have been weather-related.
What kind of phone do you need for O2 Satellite?
Light Reading reports that any VMO2 customer with a modern smartphone can use the service once they are beyond the reach of a tower, with iPhone and Android handsets both covered. The outlet notes this is a change from earlier satellite technology, which required brick-sized phones with large antennas.
How high are the Starlink satellites that deliver this service?
Light Reading reports the signal is beamed directly to the smartphone from a Starlink satellite orbiting at an altitude of about 350km and travelling at around 17,500mph. There is no local basestation involved in the link.
Could Starlink build its own mobile network rather than partner with operators?
Light Reading reports that Starlink executives aired a US plan to build small cells earlier this year, and that the idea was subsequently criticised by numerous experts. The outlet adds that none of this rules out Musk signing a mobile virtual network operator agreement to piggyback on macro cells already built by terrestrial operators, which it says could make a Starlink-branded service a formidable US competitor.
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