Beeline Kazakhstan Completes Central Asia’s First D2D Call Using Starlink
VEON’s Beeline Kazakhstan has completed the first-ever Starlink Direct-to-Device (D2D) voice call and messaging test in Central Asia, a key milestone in the integration of satellite and terrestrial mobile networks in the country.
The field trial, which follows November’s announcement of Beeline’s partnership with Starlink, was conducted in Kazakhstan’s Akmolinskaya region, and demonstrated app-based voice calling and messaging using a standard 4G smartphone and a Beeline Kazakhstan SIM card, connected directly via Starlink Direct to Cell satellites. No special handset or external terminal was required.
The test confirmed practical interoperability between Starlink’s satellite layer and Beeline Kazakhstan’s terrestrial mobile core, validating direct-to-device NTN capability in remote and sparsely populated areas where traditional cellular coverage is limited or unavailable.
Following the successful demonstration, Beeline Kazakhstan plans to introduce Starlink Direct to Cell services starting with SMS in 2026, subject to regulatory approval, positioning the country among the early adopters of commercial D2D satellite-mobile services.