Lorraine Williamson
MasOrange has signed an agreement with Starlink to run a technical pilot in Valladolid, billed as Spain’s first test of Starlink’s “Direct to Cell” service — technology designed to connect ordinary mobile phones to satellites when ground coverage disappears.
The pitch is simple: satellite links that behave like “cell towers in space”, helping fill gaps in rural areas and weak-signal zones, with the handset switching automatically between terrestrial and satellite coverage when needed.
What “Direct to Cell” is, in plain terms
Unlike traditional satellite phones, this is aimed at standard devices, starting with basic messaging and data services. The trial will test how satellite-to-mobile communication can integrate with existing mobile networks using spectrum already assigned to the operator.
MasOrange says the pilot has been cleared by Spanish authorities and will examine real-world performance before any wider rollout.
Why Valladolid, and why it matters
Testing in a province with a mix of urban centres and wide rural stretches makes sense for a coverage trial. If it works, the implications are obvious for Spain: fewer dead zones, better resilience during outages, and an additional layer of connectivity that could benefit logistics, agriculture and emergency response.
It also puts Spain at the front of a race that European operators are watching closely, as satellite-to-mobile becomes a realistic complement to 4G/5G rather than a niche product.
Capability, regulation and cost
The first question is capability: what the system can reliably support beyond basic messaging. The second is regulation and cost, because satellite-to-mobile raises thorny issues around spectrum, roaming-style pricing and how networks handle seamless handover at scale.
If the technical results are strong, expect other operators to pursue similar partnerships — and expect the debate to shift quickly from “can it work?” to “how quickly can it be deployed, and who pays?”
Sources: