Japanese telcos KDDI and Okinawa Cellular are providing au Starlink Direct, a direct to cell service between satellites and au smartphones, making it the first such service in Japan.

The service is compatible with 50 smartphone models and is available free of charge to au users for the time being without the need to apply.

The au Starlink Direct service allows au smartphones to directly connect to the Starlink satellite that supports direct telecommunications, enabling connectivity wherever there is a sight of sky, even outside the coverage area. In addition to text messaging with friends, users can receive emergency earthquake alerts and share current location with families, providing peace of mind in emergencies. Furthermore, Android users can simply send text questions to get support for searches and other tasks from Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.

Although au’s population coverage is more than 99.9 per cent, its area coverage rate is approximately 60 per cent due to Japan’s unique topography. au Starlink Direct, which covers all of Japan, enables connectivity in the remaining 40 per cent. The service can be used to communicate with family members and friends, in emergencies, etc., even in mountainous areas, island areas, and campgrounds and at sea where it is difficult to provide a telecommunications environment.

KDDI says it is expanding the au coverage area to all of Japan to bring the experience of ‘Connecting the Unconnected. wherever you see the sky’.

“I’m very excited to bring direct-to-cell phone connectivity to Japan through KDDI, the first in Asia and one of the first in the world,” declared Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO of SpaceX. “Both Starlink and direct-to-cell are game-changing technologies, making connecting the unconnected simple and bringing potentially life-saving capability to the people of Japan for disaster and other emergency responses.”

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, MNO, Mobile, Satellite

Tags: au Starlink Direct, direct to cell, KDDI, Okinawa Cellular