SpaceX Makes ‘Starlink Mobile’ Official as Subscriber Base Hits 10 Million

Image: Starlink

SpaceX has reached a major turning point at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by officially rebranding its satellite-to-phone technology as Starlink Mobile. We first saw SpaceX trademark that name back in December and now we know why.

During a keynote presentation (titled The Future of Satellite-to-Mobile with Starlink) on Monday, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and SVP Michael Nicolls confirmed the constellation has officially surpassed 10 million active subscribers, marking a massive surge in global adoption.

The company is positioning Starlink Mobile as a mainstream service designed to eliminate cellular dead zones by connecting directly to unmodified smartphones. The rebrand from Direct to Cell to Starlink Mobile signals a shift from a technical experiment to a consumer-ready product that complements existing terrestrial 5G networks.

Nicolls revealed that the current Starlink Mobile constellation already consists of 650 satellites and has connected over 16 million unique users. Looking ahead, SpaceX expects the active user base to grow to 25 million by the end of 2026. The next phase of the rollout will involve the launch of second-generation satellites, which are projected to deliver nearly 100 times more data density and download speeds of up to 150 Mbps.

The presentation included a live demonstration of a video call and AI searches performed on a standard smartphone in a remote area of California where no ground-based cell signal exists. By using advanced space lasers to link satellites, Starlink Mobile can now act as a “cell tower in space” for standard LTE and 5G devices across five continents.

SpaceX also announced a major partnership with Deutsche Telekom to bring this technology to Europe. The collaboration aims to provide seamless coverage for over 140 million subscribers across 10 countries, ensuring that users automatically switch to satellite connectivity when they move beyond the reach of traditional cell towers.

With nearly 10,000 satellites now in orbit, Starlink has become the largest 4G coverage provider by geographic area in the world. As the company prepares to launch its larger V2 satellites using the Starship rocket starting in 2027, the goal remains to provide high-speed, low-latency internet to every corner of the planet.

Key Starlink Figures and Milestones

• 10 Million: Total active subscribers officially surpassed as of March 2026.
• Starlink Mobile: The new official name for the Direct-to-Cell satellite service.
• 650 Satellites: The size of the first-generation sub-constellation dedicated to mobile connectivity.
• 25 Million: Projected number of active mobile users by the end of 2026.
• V2 Satellites: Next-gen hardware designed to offer 5G-level speeds and 20 times the performance of current models.
• 150 Mbps: Potential download speeds targeted for the second-generation mobile network.
• 5 Continents: Current global footprint where Starlink Mobile is already operational.