Chile completes LatAm’s first successful direct-to-cell satellite tests

Chile completed what it claims were the first successful practical tests of direct-to-cell, or direct-to-device technology, which allows conventional smartphones to connect to satellite broadband in areas where ground mobile networks are unavailable.

On Tuesday, the country's leading mobile operator Entel and SpaceX's Starlink successfully sent a text message to a smartphone, rather than to a satellite phone.

The message was sent to telecoms undersecretary Claudio Araya, who was in the Atacama desert at the time of the test.

With this, Chile has become the first country in the region to directly connect a smartphone to a satellite. Elsewhere, carriers such as T-Mobile in the US are also testing the service.

The market expectation is that more mobile operators sign deals to use satellite services in areas the terrestrial networks cannot reach.

Entel has been one of the first companies in the region to sign an agreement to test Starlink's direct-to-cell service, which started with text and voice in 2024, while data is expected to launch this year.

Another direct-to-cell network, AST Network, has agreements with several Latin American operators, including Liberty Latin America, Millicom, Telefónica, Telecom Argentina and TIM, according to the GSMA association.

In Brazil, regulator Anatel approved a regulatory sandbox last year enabling companies to conduct satellite-to-phone tests.

Claro and TIM responded to an initial request to signal interest. Both companies are expected to conduct tests in partnership with AST Space Mobile.