Thanks to the telecommunications company One NZ, SpaceX’s Starlink text messaging service can now operate throughout New Zealand. The New Zealand provider claims that this is the first time that a nationwide satellite-based text messaging service is powered by Starlink. T-Mobile has made a lot of noise about this project, but it seems that One NZ is ahead of the curve on this one.
What are the benefits for New Zealanders? This is a country with a lot of rural areas where there is no access to mobile towers, which leads to a weak or no signal. This levels the playing field for people who don’t live near major cities.
Now let’s move on to the caveats, and there are some big caveats here. Starlink text messages are incredibly slow when compared to traditional methods. One New Zealand company claims that in the initial rollout, most messages are sent and received within three minutes, but admits that the time frame could increase to “10 minutes or longer.” It is for this reason that the company continues to encourage people to carry a personal locator beacon when traveling to remote areas.
The service is also supported by only four smartphone models: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OPPO Find X8 Pro. The list of devices is expected to expand next year. The company also intends to expand the service to include voice calls and data over time.
Satellite service is free for existing One NZ customers on paid monthly plans, but we do not know the pricing scheme for new customers or those on other types of contracts. Starlink partners with other telecommunications companies to provide comprehensive coverage in Japan, Peru, Switzerland, and Chile. As mentioned earlier, the company is also partnering with T-Mobile to do something similar in the US.
