Customers of Virgin Media's O2 mobile phone service are gaining access to direct-to-device satellite communication on the 25th of February. While some direct-to-device has already been approved in other countries, including the US, this is the first such licence variation approved by Ofcom for UK mobile customers. In hard-to-reach regions where there is no cellular service, direct-to-device will allow customers to stay connected via text, phone calls and internet with signals directly to and from smartphones. Virgin Media O2 is making use of Starlink satellites in low earth orbit.