In remote Australia, mobile blackspots are more than an inconvenience—they’re a safety risk. Telstra is tackling that with Telstra Satellite Messaging, the nation’s first satellite-to-mobile text service.
Now, users can send and receive texts even when outside the reach of mobile towers. It’s designed for farmers in the back paddock, hikers off-grid, or road-trippers stuck with a flat tyre.
After months of field testing across the country, the service is now live for customers who have a Samsung S25 phone, with support also just added for some iPhone models. Support for other devices is being rolled out over time.
Currently limited to SMS (yes, emojis too), the service is expected to expand to calls and data in the future.
