“When we arrived, she was trying to get out of the vehicle, and there was no cell coverage to call for help,” Bell said.
“I texted my partner in Auckland and asked him to phone emergency services and sent him my location.
Police and a fire truck arrived in about 20 minutes.
“I also gave my phone to the driver to text her dad and tell him what had happened and that she was okay,” Bell said.
“Thankfully, the driver wasn’t seriously injured, just really shaken. But I was very grateful to have satellite text to get some help.”
One NZ’s Satellite TXT uses SpaceX’s Starlink network to provide coverage for the 40% of New Zealand’s landmass that isn’t covered by cellular networks, plus up to 12 nautical miles (22.2km) or NZ’s territorial limit. Line-of-sight to the sky is required.
Bell is well-placed to appreciate the advance. She’s worked for Spark, 2degrees, Apple and now One NZ as an enterprise lead.
One millionth text through space
One launched Satellite TXT shortly before Christmas, making it one of the first telcos in the world to go live with Starlink’s new service.
Recent expansions have seen pre-pay customers and recent Apple iPhones added to the mix (see the full list of compatible handsets and plans here). Voice calling and data are expected to be added later this year as SpaceX launches more mobile-to-cell capable satellites.
Once voice calling is live, One NZ will support satellite calls for customers of any network.
Emergency services also offer 111 by text for those with hearing or speech difficulties who pre-register. One NZ’s Satellite TXT supports that accessibility option (which, as with an emergency text via the regular cellular network, is only available for a customer’s home network).
One NZ opened Satellite TXT to all customers north of Hamilton during Cyclone Tam.
Earlier this week, One NZ customer experience director Joe Goddard said more than one million messages have been sent via satellite so far.
“With more than 500 Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability now in orbit, we’ve seen a dramatic improvement in the time it takes for a message to send or receive through space,” Goddard said.
“The vast majority of messages are now sent and received within three minutes, with most in a minute or less.”
The response times are expected to improve as more satellites are launched.
The service is free for those on pay-monthly accounts, and free for a trial period (expected to expire at some point before year’s end) for pre-pay customers. Pre-pay customers will pay $5 per month after the free trial ends.
Other options
Owners of recent iPhones (be they on One NZ, Spark or 2degrees) also have the option of using Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite service, which uses the GlobalStar satellite network, which it part-owns (and which is one of Rocket Lab’s largest single customers). Apple’s service had a successful real-life workout when it was used by two hikers stranded in Arthur’s Pass, outside traditional mobile coverage.
Apple has opened its satellite service for general messaging in North America, but as yet has no timetable for expanding it beyond emergency service for other territories.
Meanwhile, 2degrees recently ink a deal with Starlink rival AST SpaceMobile – a better-funded, more advanced option than its initial punt, Lynk. Service is expected to begin early next year.
The same day that 2degrees announced its contract with the Texas-based, AST, Spark told the Herald, “Spark has entered a new partnership with another US-based satellite provider to offer customers satellite-to-mobile services from early 2026.”
A Spark spokeswoman added, “While I can’t confirm the name of the partner, I can confirm it is a new partnership, as an alternative to Lynk.”
Industry scuttlebutt is that Spark has signed with Starlink’s Direct to Cell too. (One NZ’s deal with Elon Musk’s company is for an undisclosed period of time. Musk posted that the first wave of telco partners had a one-year jump on the pack. One NZ still wouldn’t confirm and hinted there was a renewal clause.)
More long-term, the Amazon-owned Project Kuiper is in the early stages of building a satellite network to take on Starlink. Amazon has bought radio-spectrum and land for a Kuiper ground station in NZ, and advertised for local staff.
Kuiper is aiming for a network of 3200 low-Earth orbit satellites. After testing a couple of prototypes, it plans to launch its first 27 satellites on April 28 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launching from Cape Canaveral.
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
