MediaTek and Starlink Mobile together for user safety, emergency alerts even without cellular network

Timely communication during natural disasters or dangerous situations often represents a decisive factor in saving lives. When terrestrial infrastructures collapse or become inaccessible, satellite connectivity emerges as the only lifeline.

In this direction, the recent collaboration between MediaTek and Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network, is moving forward.

The agreement, officially unveiled during the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, aims to ensure the reception of alert messages directly on users’ smartphones, definitively overcoming the need to rely on a traditional cellular network that is replaced by satellites.

MediaTek and Starlink, the new modem supports satellite 5G connectivity

At the heart of this novelty lies the new MediaTek M90 modem, presented by the company as the world’s first component capable of integrating modern 5G connectivity with satellite technology.

By leveraging the frequencies of the S band, mobile devices equipped with this modem will be able to directly intercept lifesaving communications sent through Starlink’s Direct to Cell service.

The alerting systems supported by this infrastructure include globally important protocols: the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), the framework Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the sistema di allerta per terremoti e tsunami (ETWS).

Thanks to this integration, people involved in critical situations will be alerted well in advance in any geographic area, including the most remote parts of the planet or those temporarily isolated due to damage to transmission antennas.

A Tangible Global Impact Already

The results of this alliance are already measurable on the ground. Currently, the service based on the Wireless Emergency Alert framework is active in highly populated nations commonly exposed to environmental challenges such as the United States, Canada and Japan.

According to data released by MediaTek, over four and a half million individuals have already used Starlink Mobile connectivity to receive vital messages in emergency situations.

JC Hsu, Corporate Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless Communications division of MediaTek, highlighted how the combination of in-house hardware development expertise and Starlink’s extensive satellite infrastructure allows bridging the severe gaps in mobile coverage that routinely occur during natural disasters.

“Our solution substantially addresses the gaps in cellular coverage that often occur during natural disasters and other emergencies, and represents an important step toward the commercial deployment of standardized NR-NTN technology,” he said.

A Clear Step Forward Compared to the Past

The ability of smartphones to interface directly with satellites in low Earth orbit is not a last-minute invention, but the result of an evolution that has gradually matured over the past few years.

MediaTek boasts a solid and entrenched experience in this specific area, having been involved in some of the first commercial solutions brought to the global market. The former partnership with the now-defunct British company Bullitt Group had indeed led to the creation of the MT6825 modem.

This chip found application in the rugged smartphone Cat S75 and in the Motorola Defy 2. While at the time the projects also targeted ordinary text messaging, the current direction of the mobile industry is heavily focused on personal safety and emergency-critical communications.

This is a technological path pursued with conviction by various industry players, followed with extreme attention even by technology giants such as Apple since the launch of its models a few generations ago.

The use of Direct to Cell technology is nonetheless another step forward toward the availability of a true global mobile Internet that no longer depends on terrestrial antennas.