First UK phones to get satellite connectivity in signal blackspots announced

Virgin Media O2 is set to become the first mobile operator to offer UK customers automatic connectivity via satellite in places without mobile signal.

O2 Satellite will be an optional service due to launch in the first half of 2026.

The firm has not yet revealed how much it will cost, but it will be an additional fee to pay each month.

O2 has partnered with Elon Musk's satellite business Starlink to offer the service.

Enabled smartphones will automatically switch to satellite coverage in parts of the UK where there is no terrestrial signal available - for example in rural areas.

However those who sign up for it will not be able to make phone calls via satellite to begin with.

The service will only work with messaging, maps and location apps. O2 says this is because Starlink's current satellites do not support calls, although the next generation of them will.

Calls made via WhatsApp, which uses data rather than phone signal, may work though - O2 intends to trial this before the service launches to the public.

The satellites will effectively act like "phone masts in the sky", said Luke Pearce from analysts CCS Insight.

"In today's world, connectivity is no longer optional," he said.

"Whether it's emergency SOS in life-saving situations or keeping a software-defined vehicle online, people now expect constant access.

"Satellite is the only technology that can truly close the coverage gap across mountains, oceans and rural areas."

O2's move comes several months after rival Vodafone carried out a successful live video call via satellite from a mountain in Wales where there was no other signal.

It claimed this was a UK-first, but it has not yet revealed any plans to roll out satellite-to-device services to customers.

Vodafone's tech worked with the satellite firm AST, which currently has six satellites in orbit and aims to have up to 60 by the end of 2026.

Starlink meanwhile has more than 650, and has already launched similar services with phone networks in other countries including Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Japan.

In the UK, Ofcom tweaked its regulations in September to enable satellite connectivity directly to smartphone devices.

Currently it is only possible to use it to text emergency services from newer iPhone and Android handsets.

But the use of low earth satellites for mobile communications has been criticised by astronomers, who say they pollute the night sky and make it more difficult to spot potential hazards such as asteroids.