Vivo, the mobile carrier of Telefônica Brasil, launched Vivo Satélite on Monday, October 26, a service that connects compatible phones directly to Starlink satellites in places with no Vivo mobile coverage. According to Teletime, the carrier says the service covers the whole country and is open to about 50 million subscribers, individuals and businesses. It handles messages, maps and calls made through apps, but not conventional phone calls, video calls or open web browsing.

What was announced

Teletime reports that Vivo and Starlink, the satellite operator owned by SpaceX, announced the partnership on October 26. The technology is known as direct-to-device, or D2D: compatible handsets connect automatically to the satellite constellation when they are in an area without Vivo coverage. No dish or extra equipment is needed, according to Exame.

Alex Salgado, Vivo’s operations director, called the announcement historic and said customers would have signal wherever they are, including on highways, in rural areas and in remote regions, according to Teletime. Stephanie Bednarek, a SpaceX vice president of sales, said the partnership gives access to selected apps and messaging services, and that a future generation of the technology would bring high-speed connectivity. Teletime says neither executive gave a date for that next generation.

Vivo presents the service as a complement to its land network, not a replacement. DPL News reports that the carrier says its terrestrial network already reaches 98% of Brazil’s population, and that the satellite service is aimed at highways, rural areas and remote regions where extending conventional coverage is harder or more costly. DPL News also says the service uses the first generation of Starlink’s satellite technology and Vivo’s own spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band.

What works and what does not

At launch the service covers text and audio messages through WhatsApp, RCS, SMS, iMessage and Google Messages, and maps through Google Maps and Apple Maps, plus the Vivo app, according to Teletime. DPL News adds that calls are possible only through apps, naming WhatsApp and iMessage. Exame lists location sharing and Vivo’s customer-service channel among the features.

Conventional phone calls, video calls and unrestricted internet browsing are not available, InvestNews reports. Exame says video calls and open browsing are left out because they need more transmission capacity than the current technology offers. Showmetech, citing Vivo’s official page through Tecnoblog, says each service is limited to specific functions and that the offer was not presented for indoor use.

The phone needs a clear view of the sky. Exame notes that car roofs, buildings and dense tree canopy can weaken the signal, and that the service does not replace 4G or 5G networks. InvestNews lists capacity and indoor reception among the open technical challenges for this kind of service.

Who can use it, and what it costs

Per Teletime, eligible customers include postpaid, Controle and Lite subscribers on qualifying plans, and prepaid customers who top up above R$30. Showmetech, again relaying Vivo’s page, lists postpaid, Controle, prepaid, Vivo Lite and Tourist Plan lines under certain offers and says not every line in those categories qualifies, so customers should check in the Vivo app.

On the phone itself, Exame lists a 4G or 5G handset, an updated physical SIM or an eSIM, data roaming switched on and an up-to-date operating system. Customers do not need to buy an extra plan, request activation or download a dedicated app, the outlet says. Showmetech adds that Vivo keeps a list of compatible models on its site, and that a 4G phone does not guarantee access.

The service is free for a limited time. Teletime gives 12 months for individuals and three months for business customers, and says machine-to-machine terminals are excluded and will have their own packages. DPL News gives dates: free for eligible postpaid plans until October 25, 2027, and a three-month promotion for businesses valid until January 26, 2027. Exame says the access does not use up the monthly data allowance. None of the outlets reviewed reports what Vivo will charge once the promotions end.

The regulatory basis

Exame reports that Anatel, Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, created an experimental regulatory environment for the technology in June 2026, after months of tests that it monitored. In that environment the satellite service uses frequencies on a secondary basis, and Exame says the transmission must stop if it interferes with the primary services. The test data could later inform permanent rules for commercial use.

Canaltech, relaying Teletime on September 17, reported that Anatel extended Vivo’s temporary authorization from October 22, 2026 to April 22, 2029, by Act No. 11,334 published in the Official Gazette. The permission can end earlier if Anatel publishes definitive rules. It covers the whole country, caps transmission power at 100 W, and uses test frequencies of 2,567.5 MHz and 2,687.5 MHz, each 5 MHz wide, which are part of Vivo’s own spectrum already used on its land networks. Vivo may sell D2D services during the experimental period if it meets Anatel’s conditions.

Earlier, on July 3, Canaltech reported, again citing Teletime, that Anatel’s board had approved the release of spectrum bands for satellite-to-phone connections the day before. The bands listed were 700, 850, 900, 1,800, 1,900/2,100 and 2,500 MHz, all treated as secondary, and the service may operate only together with terrestrial carriers that already hold licenses in those bands. This is a separate step from the June experimental environment that Exame describes, and the sources do not say how the two relate.

One detail is unclear. DPL News says the extension allows up to 50 test terminals through 2029 and does not explain how that squares with a service open to 50 million subscribers. Canaltech’s report on the September decision does not mention a terminal limit.

A partnership with no lock-in

According to Canaltech, Anatel’s authorization does not oblige Vivo to keep Starlink as its satellite partner until 2029. The carrier may add or replace the provider if it informs Anatel and respects the project’s conditions. The same report says TIM and Claro are following D2D and are in talks with satellite companies.

InvestNews reports that three regional operators, Unifique, Brisanet and iez!, have signed a commercial agreement with AST SpaceMobile and intend to make 700 MHz spectrum available. AST’s proposal includes voice calls, mobile broadband and video on ordinary smartphones, the outlet says, but financial terms and timing have not been disclosed and final contracts are still being negotiated.

Tecnoblog explained in August that Starlink cannot offer mobile service in Brazil on its own, because only a mobile carrier may do so and Starlink does not formally qualify as one. The service launched in October runs on Vivo’s own spectrum, according to DPL News.

Lessons from the United States and the economics

Tecnoblog notes that T-Mobile launched T-Satellite with Starlink in the United States in July 2025, starting with text messages only. It is included in T-Mobile’s Go5G Next plan, and customers of other T-Mobile plans and of carriers such as AT&T and Verizon pay US$10 a month extra, the outlet reports.

InvestNews cites BTG Pactual’s view that the partnership model is likely to prevail in Brazil, because average revenue per customer is structurally lower than in developed markets, which makes it harder to justify a standalone Starlink mobile operation. XP, the outlet says, thinks the market still gives limited value to regional carriers’ mobile assets, especially 700 MHz spectrum.

What to watch

Lens analysis: the launch is a limited first step. Messages, maps and app calls fit the low-capacity link that today’s satellites provide, and the promotion lets Vivo gather usage data before it sets a price. The sources reviewed do not give a coverage map, a list of compatible phones, speeds or the post-promotion price, so those remain the main unknowns.

Regulation is the second variable. The authorization to April 2029 can end early if Anatel issues permanent rules. Canaltech reported in July that the regulator’s licensing unit had 90 days to draft technical specifications for the service, and the sources reviewed do not say whether that work is finished. This suggests that how Anatel treats other carriers’ satellite partnerships, including the AST SpaceMobile agreements, will show whether the Vivo arrangement is a one-off or the first of several.

Sources

Image: Starlink Satellites Overhead.jpg by M. Lewinsky/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative photo; it does not show the events described.