Asia-Pacific D2D Services Move From Trials To Measured Use
Ookla reported that six Starlink-based direct-to-device services now operate across four Asia-Pacific markets, with detected use highest in Australia and New Zealand and regulatory paths forming in several countries.
According to Ookla's July 28 analysis, six Starlink-based commercial direct-to-device services now operate across four Asia-Pacific markets 18 months after One NZ introduced the region's first carrier-run nationwide satellite texting service.
The adoption signal comes from more than launch counts.
The analysis combines anonymized Android background signal scans, regulatory decisions and carrier packages to show where satellite-to-phone service is becoming a working backup outside terrestrial mobile coverage.
Australia And New Zealand Lead Detected D2D Activity
One NZ's Satellite TXT began in December 2024 and covers about 40% of New Zealand's landmass without terrestrial service, as well as roughly 20 km offshore, the Ookla analysis says.
Japan now has free Starlink messaging from KDDI, SoftBank and NTT docomo, while Telstra includes satellite texting with postpaid plans in Australia and Globe opened service in the Philippines.
Measured use is concentrated where outdoor coverage gaps make satellite fallback practical.
Ookla's background signal scans found that detected users in Australia averaged 25.7 scans per month from January through June 2026, while New Zealand averaged 23.0 scans per detected user per month.
The same dataset put the United Kingdom at roughly four scans per detected user.
Australia's detected base reached 215% of its July 2025 level by April 2026, and New Zealand reached 192%, the background-scan dataset showed.
The pattern eased in the southern winter, linking usage to outdoor activity and seasonal demand rather than a continuous linear adoption curve.
Regulation Is Becoming Part Of The Rollout Path
Spectrum decisions now shape the deployment map alongside satellite capacity.
Australia's communications regulator allowed satellite direct-to-mobile operation through nationwide spectrum licenses already in place, and New Zealand's regulator opened a framework for direct-to-device services.
Japan's next wave has a public-funding track.
Rakuten Mobile and AST SpaceMobile are targeting a late-2026 service backed by ¥150 billion, or about $922 million, in government funding under the J-LEO satellite communications project, according to the Ookla analysis.
The Philippines shows the emergency-response use case.
Globe opened Starlink direct-to-device service in May 2026 and positioned it for emergency communications after regulatory approval, with the service designed for areas where terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable or disrupted.
Coverage Claims Still Need Service-Level Proof
For operators, the working question is whether detected satellite contacts translate into reliable service levels when users need them.
Background scans show that devices are finding D2D networks, while message delivery rates, congestion behavior, device compatibility and pricing models remain uneven across markets.
Direct-to-device service is now being presented as both a coverage extension and a resilience layer.
Live markets, measured device contact and regulatory pathways give carriers a clearer deployment record; enterprise and public-safety buyers still need proof that satellite fallback performs during outages, remote travel and emergency peaks.
