EXCLUSIVE: Optus’ plans for 100% mobile coverage of Australia delayed by SpaceX and US Regulators

To much fanfare in the middle of last year Optus announced a partnership with SpaceX to deliver a whole new way of connecting Australians, one that would offer 100% mobile coverage across Australia.

The deal is part of SpaceX’s plans to launch a new style of Satellite into the chain of low-earth-orbit Starlink Satellites already in space.

Currently, Starlink provides internet services to their own Starlink receivers across all parts of the globe. The new “Starlink Direct to Cell” plan sees traditional and unmodified 4G phones connecting to Starlink Satellites for text, voice and data services.

When Optus announced the partnership in July 2023 their goal was to have SMS services operating by the end of 2024 with Voice and Data to follow in 2025.

Today however, the Optus website which outlines the planned service has a different look and different messaging to the original.

At launch, it showed this:

Today, it says this:

It is, sadly, a dramatic change to the messaging.

EFTM contacted Optus for comment on the prospective launch, and were told by an Optus Spokesperson that “We are committed to using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite direct-to-mobile technology to expand coverage across the nation.”

Going on to say “Optus is working with SpaceX while they engage with the regulator in the US regarding the conditions for conducting local testing and we’re re-evaluating our timelines to deliver this product with the best possible experience for customers.”

There’s no details on what US regulators are looking at regarding the trials, but with Telco partners in eight countries including T-Mobile in the USA you can bet they’ll be pushing hard.

Sadly for Optus, it’s yet another broken promise by an Elon Musk company. This is the man that promised a brand new sports car the Tesla Roadster would be available in 2020 when he showed a prototype in 2017. That car is today no closer to being seen, sold or driven than it was at that time.

For Australians, this “LTE to Satellite” technology could be a complete game changer, and for Optus it had set them on a path to sell a clear point of difference and benefit over Telstra – that now seems a distant hope.

All is not lost though for Aussies, with TPG Telecom and Lynk Global announcing recently their own plans to bring satellite-to-mobile technology to Australia, aiming to eliminate coverage dead spots in rural and regional areas. Text message trials are set to begin in 2025 – according to their most recent announcement.

The space race is well and truely on here in Australia.