OpenSignal map shows satellite-to-phone use across remote Australia as UOMO becomes law

Mobile testing company OpenSignal has launched a D2D Satellite Map showing where phones are connecting directly to satellites, with connections recorded in every Australian state and territory. The map also confirms significant uptake in New Zealand, the US, Chile and Japan.

The technology uses antennas in compatible smartphones to talk to low Earth orbit satellites, initially for text messaging where terrestrial coverage is absent. Optus was the first Australian carrier to sign up, striking a deal with Starlink in 2023, and Telstra launched its Satellite Messaging service in June last year. When Telstra expanded its offering in July, it said more than 2.9 million customers had sent over 26 million messages, with more than 200,000 connections each day.

In Australia the clusters sit along remote roads around Mount Kosciuszko, near Dubbo and Yarrawonga, north of Blackwater in Queensland and at Iluka Resources' JA Mine in South Australia. Others appear just outside metropolitan areas, around Ballarat and at Cape Otway, where travellers have long dealt with mobile blackspots.

Because D2D connections only activate when conventional networks are unavailable, the map gives an inverse view of mobile coverage. That matters in Australia, where telcos had to redraw coverage maps earlier this year after the ACMA revised the standards for what counts as coverage. Australian Telecommunications Alliance CEO Luke Coleman told Information Age the map shows that even the very early services are getting some pickup among Australian users. Coleman believes the data is more likely to deepen partnerships with Starlink and other LEO operators than to guide new base station builds. Coleman said the investment case for terrestrial coverage "gets very thin as you get into low population areas".

The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, enshrined in law in the week before the 26 October 2026 report, is driving carriers to partner with satellite operators including Starlink, while Amazon and AST SpaceMobile are emerging as potential providers. Technical hurdles remain: latency makes acceptable voice calls difficult over LEO satellites, and technical analyses suggest performance is significantly impaired inside buildings, cars and trains.

One possible improvement is the allocation of mobile satellite services spectrum in the 2GHz band, with auctions expected before the end of the year. RMIT Associate Professor Mark Gregory told Information Age the challenges could leave the Australian D2D market in limbo until at least next year, and possibly 2028. He sees "a strong likelihood" that well-funded operators such as SpaceX and Amazon will outbid Telstra, Optus and TPG for that spectrum. Gregory also pointed to NBN Co's engagement with Amazon as something that could reshape satellite delivery to regional Australians. He said, "There’s one thing that Telstra can’t control," and that is the spectrum.