Vivo announced a partnership with Starlink to offer Vivo Satélite, a direct-to-device communication service with coverage in all of Brazil. The service is available to approximately 50 million subscribers, including consumer and enterprise clients. The company informed that it can be contracted by postpaid, control, and Lite customers of eligible plans. Prepaid customers can have access to the service from recharges above R$ 30. At launch, the solution arrives free of charge for a promotional period of 12 months for individuals and three months for enterprise customers – the offer does not include M2M terminals, which will have specific packages.
With the collaboration with Starlink, an operator via satellite of SpaceX, Vivo customers with devices compatible with the service will be connected automatically to the constellation of satellites when they are in areas without mobile network coverage of the operator.
At launch, it will be possible to use selected applications to send and receive messages and audios (WhatsApp, RCS, SMS, iMessage, and Google Messages), access maps (Google Maps and Apple Maps), and navigate through the Vivo App. The partnership already contemplates the future evolution of the Starlink network. According to Vivo, when the next generation of the satellite network is launched, the mobile telephony customer will have high-speed connection to utilize more resources and services.
Supported Applications and Network Architecture
At launch, the service offers access to selected applications and resources, with a focus on messaging, communication, and navigation. Among the options disclosed are: Messages: WhatsApp, RCS, SMS, iMessage, and Google Messages; Maps: Google Maps and Apple Maps; Operator services: Vivo application.
With Vivo Satélite, Vivo customers pass to have signal wherever they are: on highways, in rural, remote areas, or regions of difficult access not yet served by terrestrial infrastructure. This is a historic announcement that reaffirms our purpose to Digitalize to Approximate and our commitment to innovation and in offering the best experience for our customers,
stated Alex Salgado, director of Operations of the operator, in a note.
We are very enthusiastic about the partnership with Vivo and, together, we are enabling access to selected messaging applications and services for millions of people throughout Brazil. In the future, the service will offer high-speed connectivity, through the next generation of our technology,
states Stephanie Bednarek, vice president of Sales of SpaceX.
Coverage Expansion and Future Evolution
The operator states that its terrestrial network already covers 98% of the Brazilian population. With the connection via satellite, the company intends to expand the availability of the service for customers who are outside these coverage areas, provided the necessary conditions for the connection are present. The connection works as an extension of mobile coverage, allowing compatible devices to connect automatically to the satellite network when they enter areas without conventional coverage.
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The service depends on a device compatible with the technology. The company made available a specific page to consult the compatible models and the conditions of access to the service. Consumers can check the information on the official site: vivo.com.br/satelite.
