Globe Telecom Inc. is taking a big leap toward addressing the country’s connectivity gaps by partnering with Elon Musk’s Starlink to bring its direct-to-cell (DTC) service here, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to roll out the technology.

Globe President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carl Cruz said the new service is part of the company’s mission to make connectivity across the country truly inclusive.

“Connectivity is no longer a privilege—it is a lifeline and a modern‑day utility that fuels individual opportunity and national economic progress,” said Cruz.

“By extending mobile reach through satellite technology, we are ensuring that every Filipino, whether in bustling cities or in the most remote barangays, has access to essential communication,” he added.

Starlink, the satellite internet unit of Musk-led SpaceX, allows LTE phones to connect directly to its over 650 low-Earth orbit satellites, accessing voice, text, and data services in the process.

This is expected to widen the coverage of the country’s mobile network to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), where ground cell towers often struggle expanding to.

Globe said the service will reach the nearly four percent of the population currently outside its mobile network coverage, who have little to no access to connectivity.

As of November, the Ayala-led telecom giant reported that its network already covers 96.33 percent of the country’s entire population.

Globally, the DTC service has connected more than 12 million users, having proven to be particularly effective in times of extreme weather conditions or natural disasters.

The service is also expected to further foster digital inclusion in remote areas as it would provide households, businesses, and communities with accessible and reliable connectivity.

Aside from the Philippines, the service is available in 22 other countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, Ukraine, Nigeria, and Peru.

Globe said partnering with Starlink to bring the service in the country is part of its continuing commitment to invest in technologies to support the government’s objective to bring connectivity to all Filipinos.

“This collaboration underscores Globe’s vision of a more connected Philippines where every individual has access to essential communication, regardless of location or circumstance,” it said.

From January to September last year, the company rolled out 487 new towers, upgraded nearly 4,000 sites with LTE, and activated 235 additional 5G sites.