I’ve tried it and it really is a game changer. Using Australia’s first satellite to mobile text messaging system wasn’t easy to do because finding a Telstra mobile blackspot was actually pretty hard near populated centres and major roadways in Australia. This could be seen as a positive for Telstra but it’s not that simple. Those living in remote areas will benefit the most from this technology which we’ll see a lot more of (including voice) when 6G arrives in around five years.
Over the weekend Telstra added iPhones 13-16 (all versions) to their satellite texting service. A few days earlier more than 100,000 texts were sent or received via SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell service. The Samsung S25 series were the first phones to gain access but now that a bunch of iPhones have been added to the list, the number of texts sent will grow significantly over the next few weeks.
On Saturday I was driving back to Sydney from Melbourne and it was difficult to find a spot along the route with absolutely no coverage. I had the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung 25 Ultra as test devices and when one would drop out activating satellite coverage, the other (usually S25) would still be clinging to 4G signal.
As I said in the Sky News live cross in the video above, I asked locals at Gundagai petrol station where the coverage was dodgy and they said on the road to Tumut. So I managed to send a few text texts via satellite in pretty poor weather too. It was enough to show me that this technology is going to be extremely useful for people in remote areas. Strangely, I was able to send a message via satellite using the 16 Pro Max then receive it on my S25 Ultra which was still on 4G.
I then headed up to the Snowy Mountains where I struggled to activate satellite coverage due to lingering 4G connectivity and heavy snow clouds above. The next step for me is to travel out bush to really see how well this system works. I need absolutely no chance of cell coverage and a great view of the sky. Stay tuned.
Let me know about your experiences, I’d love to see how others have found the system in their part of Australia.
