Globe achieves first Philippine video call via Starlink direct-to-cell service

Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. on Thursday demonstrated its first direct-to-cell (DTC) service with Starlink, linking Obando, Bulacan to Basilan through a video call and short message service (SMS).

According to Globe, a video call was made between Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda, who was in a remote community school some 30 minutes by boat from the Isabela Port in Basilan, and Undersecretary June Vincent Manuel Gaudan, who was in Obando, Bulacan.

The call was made during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Brigada Eskwela visit to the Binuangan Elementary School in Bulacan on Thursday morning.

“Connectivity becomes even more meaningful when it reaches communities that have long remained underserved,” Globe president and chief executive officer Carl Cruz said in an emailed statement.

“Satellite-to-mobile technology can help strengthen digital inclusion by supporting access to communication services in areas where traditional infrastructure alone may not be enough,” he added.

Starlink’s DTC service is a satellite-to-mobile wireless technology developed by SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company. It provides connectivity in remote areas where traditional terrestrial networks are unavailable, using LTE-enabled phones that connect directly to satellites acting as “cell towers in space.”

Globe chief commercial officer Darius Delgado said Starlink Mobile will initially be made available for Android users and offered in two packages — P99 for 30 days and P299 for 90 days — starting in June.

Globe completed its first live trial of Starlink Mobile in March, with testing conducted in parts of Rizal, Batangas, and Bataan. The company said the tests confirmed the service’s feasibility.

The partnership was first announced in January and aims to expand mobile signal and internet access to underserved and remote areas, particularly across the Philippines’ more than 7,600 islands.

Globe earlier reported a 9% increase in core net income for the first quarter of the year, as consolidated gross service revenues rose 5% to P42 billion.

Shares in Globe were last trading at P1,770.00 apiece, down by P24.00 or 1.34% from Wednesday’s finish of P1,794.00 per share. –NB, GMA News