Telefónica’s Vivo Launches Starlink Mobile Across Brazil for 50 Million Customers

Telefónica-owned Vivo has launched Vivo Satélite in partnership with Starlink Mobile, bringing direct-to-device satellite connectivity to approximately 50 million eligible mobile subscribers across Brazil.

The service uses SpaceX’s LEO satellite constellation to extend Vivo’s terrestrial mobile network into areas without conventional cellular coverage. Compatible smartphones can connect automatically to Starlink satellites when outside terrestrial coverage, without requiring additional hardware or a dedicated satellite device.

Vivo is positioning the launch as a major expansion of its geographic reach, particularly across Brazil’s rural areas, highways, remote communities and other locations where building terrestrial mobile infrastructure remains difficult or uneconomic. While Vivo’s mobile network already covers around 98% of the population, satellite connectivity offers a way to reach more of the country’s vast territory.

Initial capabilities focus on messaging and selected light-data applications rather than unrestricted mobile broadband. Supported services include SMS, RCS, iMessage, Google Messages and WhatsApp, alongside Google Maps, Apple Maps and Vivo’s own app. WhatsApp functionality also includes audio messaging and app-based voice calls, subject to satellite connectivity conditions.

The scale of the launch sees D2D become available to a potential base of 50 million customers and immediately gives Starlink Mobile a significant foothold in Latin America’s largest mobile market, although actual usage will depend on compatible devices, customer eligibility and the availability of satellite connectivity.

The agreement also provides a roadmap for future services. Vivo and Starlink expect the next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites to support higher-speed connectivity and a broader range of applications, moving beyond today's messaging-focused service. No specific timetable for those additional capabilities has been confirmed.

The partnership adds to Starlink Mobile’s growing presence across Latin America, following commercial launches with operators in markets including Chile, Costa Rica and Ecuador. It also shows how major international telecom groups are increasingly treating satellite-to-device connectivity as a standard extension of their mobile networks.