Good news for those hoping satellite connectivity will do more than send a message: Japan's KDDI has announced an agreement to use Starlink Mobile V2.
The carrier unveiled the deal on September 15, saying the agreement with SpaceX was signed on August 10. KDDI describes it as the first such agreement in Asia.
Its target is to offer the next-generation service by the end of 2027, bringing native voice calls and faster internet access to areas outside terrestrial mobile coverage.
That would expand what customers can do with au Starlink Direct, which currently offers messaging and light data.
For a look at the existing service, KDDI's Spark Journal published an offshore rescue demonstration on September 10. It uses satellite messaging to request help at sea, rather than demonstrating the planned V2 voice service.
KDDI says the planned V2 service will support browsing, streaming, and high-speed apps. It describes the new satellites as 100 times more capable than the current generation, although that isn't a promise that every customer's phone will download a file 100 times faster.
The distinction is useful. More network capacity could allow more people to connect, improve individual performance, or do some combination of the two. What a subscriber actually experiences will depend on the service that is delivered.
Starlink and KDDI have been working together since 2021. Their relationship initially involved using satellite broadband to connect mobile base stations, before au Starlink Direct launched in April 2025.
We covered the idea behind Starlink's Direct to Cell service when the project was still in its early stages. Connecting a phone directly to a satellite removes the need for the customer to carry a separate Starlink dish.
For someone walking in the mountains or visiting a remote island, that could make satellite service useful on trips where taking a complete broadband kit would be impractical.
That said, a target date is still a target date. KDDI hasn't announced a V2 subscription price or a final list of supported phones in this release.
Those details will matter just as much as the satellite specifications. An occasional backup connection and a service used for regular calls may appeal to rather different customers.
For now, existing au Starlink Direct customers shouldn't read the announcement as an immediate upgrade. The faster service and native calling are the next step KDDI is aiming to introduce.
