Transcription
AU announced a service called Starlink Direct. This will enable communication anywhere in Japan. I am personally excited about this, as it allows for message exchanges with family, research via AI, and can be considered a price disruption. Hello. I am Yan, the president of Yarereko. On this channel, we deliver useful information to help you avoid trouble while hiking. Today, we will discuss what you can do with AU's Starlink Direct, which will eliminate dead zones with satellites.
AU announced a service called Starlink Direct on April 10, 2025. Are you all aware of it? Starlink, led by Elon Musk, launches a large number of satellites into space, and this service uses those satellites for communication. Normally, you would need to install a dedicated antenna to communicate with these satellites. However, this service will allow the mobile phones you currently possess to communicate directly with satellites. Simply put, it will enable communication anywhere in Japan. However, there are various conditions for use, and it cannot be used in the same way as regular internet. Therefore, in this video, we will explain in detail what AU's Starlink Direct is, what can and cannot be done with it, and the conditions for its use. It is a service that will enable more flexible actions, not just sending SOS signals when lost in a dead zone. Please watch until the end to help you decide whether or not to use Starlink Direct.
First, let's explain what you can do with Starlink Direct. Let's start with an overview of the service. Starlink Direct is a service from KDDI, which handles the AU brand, and Okinawa Cellular Telephone. AU Starlink Direct connects AU smartphones directly to Starlink satellites that support communication, utilizing existing AU frequencies, and enables communication even in dead zones as long as the sky is visible. Basically, the sky needs to be open, and communication with Starlink satellites must be possible. The statement "as long as the sky is visible" might be an exaggeration. It's difficult to say how well communication will work in places with many obstacles like forests or buildings without actually experiencing it. Even if the sky is open, it's also important to note that you can only communicate if a Starlink Direct satellite is present. This is a point that is often misunderstood. The satellites for regular Starlink and the satellites for Starlink Direct are different. Regular Starlink is designed for communication using large, dedicated antennas, such as those used for mountain hut Wi-Fi. It is said that currently, there are about 7 cm of satellites flying in space, at an altitude of nearly 550 km. On the other hand, there are only about 600 Starlink Direct satellites flying, at an altitude of 350 km, which is considerably lower than the previous 550 km. Starlink Direct satellites fly at a much lower altitude than regular Starlink satellites so that they can communicate directly with smartphones. Regular Starlink satellites cannot connect with smartphones.
Let's look at the available services based on the announced content. At the time of service launch, four services will be available. First, sending and receiving text messages. Second, sharing current location information. Third, research using Gemini on Android smartphones. Fourth, receiving emergency earthquake warnings, tsunami warnings, national protection information, and J-Alert. Sending and receiving text messages means you can send text, or written messages, using the messaging app on your smartphone. You cannot send images or photos. It allows you to exchange messages with your family via the messaging app when something happens. Of course, you cannot make calls. The second and third functions also use the messaging app's features. Sharing current location information means sending your current location as text information. In reality, you will be sending a web address or URL. So, ultimately, it's still sending text. AI conversations are the same. The Android messaging feature includes a function to converse with Google's AI, Gemini. This will be available. What about iPhones? By sending a message to 333, AU itself provides a service where AI responds, so that service will be available. In both cases, it is ultimately text-based communication. The difference is whether the recipient is a human or an AI. J-Alert and emergency earthquake warnings are, as you know, text messages indicating that it is a warning. So, they are similar. When you receive them, your phone will beep. In other words, the services currently available are only for text-based communication. J-Alert comes automatically, so basically, for anything you do yourself, you will be using the messaging app. Considering delays, alerts might not be very useful in the mountains. Emergency earthquake warnings are also likely to be delayed. The conversation partners for the messaging app are, of course, within the scope of the messaging app, allowing you to exchange messages with people you know or have conversations with AI. Therefore, what you can actually do is exchange messages with family and friends, and research with AI. You cannot make calls to emergency numbers like 100 or 119, so it cannot be used for rescue requests when lost. You would have to ask family to contact someone for you if necessary. However, data communication is planned to be available in the future. KDDI has announced that data communication will also be supported from this summer onwards. The speed has not been disclosed, but according to an article on the CNET website, Starlink's application information indicates download speeds of up to 4.4 Mbps or 18.3 Mbps. These are theoretical maximums, so the actual speed is likely to be around 2 to 3 Mbps. Regular smartphones, according to Mynet, have a median speed of around 100 Mbps. Therefore, in terms of speed, it would be about 0.02 to 0.03 times the speed of a regular smartphone, which is quite slow. Loading a web page will take a considerable amount of time, but it should be at a level where it can eventually be displayed if you wait. However, even at this speed, as long as data communication is possible, you can use various app communications, such as LINE messages, and the Yamareko app, which periodically sends location information to the Yamareko server. Since this is also done via text data communication, all these functions will become available, greatly expanding the possibilities. Experience reports are already being published. From reading those articles, it seems that when satellite communication is available, the dead zone indicator on your smartphone will change to a satellite icon. If you pull down the screen and look at the carrier information, it will display "SpaceX AU." You won't be able to communicate continuously; it seems that you can communicate for a few minutes, then it will go back to a dead zone for a while, and then the satellite icon will appear again for a few minutes, allowing transmission. This is because Starlink Direct satellites are not geostationary, so they are constantly moving in the sky. The time when your smartphone is close enough to communicate and the sky is open is likely only a few minutes per satellite. You have to try hard to press the send button or the retry button during these few minutes to communicate. Receiving is the same. There are services that show where Starlink satellites are currently flying. These are not official sites but are maintained by enthusiasts. On the service called satelitemap.space, you can see where Starlink satellites are flying around the Earth. You can also zoom in and tap to see the satellites' altitudes. Satellites flying at altitudes in the 300 km range are Starlink Direct satellites. They fly at incredibly high speeds, around 25,000 to 27,000 km per hour, so the communication time is inevitably short. They will also pass over Japan for a while. Therefore, it is not a service that allows you to message anytime, anywhere, but rather a service that allows you to send messages during the few minutes when your smartphone can catch a satellite. Normally, the smartphone's messaging function does not constantly process reception; it attempts to receive at regular intervals. It is possible that it will try to receive when switching from a dead zone to a satellite connection, but this is something that needs to be tested in practice. Currently, there are only about 600 Starlink Direct satellites flying, which is still a small number. Therefore, the connected time within an hour might be only a few minutes. However, as the number of satellites increases, it will become easier to connect gradually.
Now, let's explain how to use Starlink Direct. You should have a good understanding of Starlink Direct from the explanation so far. Now, let's discuss what is needed to use it and what preparations are necessary. First, mobile carrier contracts. You need an AU contract. As of April 2025, contracts with other KDDI brands like Povo or UQ mobile are not currently available. There have been no announcements about future availability. Therefore, if you do not have a contract with the AU brand, you will need to switch your main line contract to AU or sign up for AU as a sub-line. If you use it with an AU line contract, it will likely be the "Unlimited MAX + 5G/4G" plan for 7,458 yen per month. For a sub-line to be used only with the main line, it will be the "Smartphone Mini Plan 5G/4G" for 4,708 yen per month, which is a plan for less than 1GB. The price difference makes it seem better to make it a main line rather than a sub-line. There are ways to make it even cheaper, such as family discounts or contracting your home internet line with AU. The price of the Starlink Direct service itself is currently free for the time being. It's amazing that this "connect anywhere" service only requires a line contract. Perhaps it's because text messages require very little data. Next, compatible models. Currently, 50 models are compatible. Only relatively new smartphones are supported, and not all of them. For iPhones, iPhone 14 and later models, including the standard, Pro, and Pro Max versions, are compatible. The latest iPhone 16 has a lower-priced version, the iPhone 16e, which is also compatible. For Google, only the Pixel Q series is compatible. Lower-priced Pixel Q series models are also scheduled to be compatible soon. Other models include Samsung Galaxy A25 and S25, and about 20 models including AQUOS Sense 9 and Sense 8. Sony also has Xperia series, with Xperia 1 V and about 5 other models, and Xiaomi has 4 models. If you don't have any of these models, you will need to replace your smartphone. It's unclear if the number of compatible models will expand in the future, but at least the manufacturers are likely to increase. In addition to these settings, there are a few settings for the messaging app, but it's best to refer to the official website for those. My personal opinion is that you don't need to rush to prepare, but it seems like it will be useful in the future. According to KDDI, data communication will also start after summer. Personally, I am looking forward to that. Of course, the characteristic of connecting only for a few minutes and the need for an open sky are things that should be considered after hearing reviews from people who have actually used it. Also, Starlink is planning to offer voice call functionality soon. This likely means "coming soon," so the schedule is probably undecided. If KDDI supports this, it might even enable short voice calls. It might also be possible to make calls to emergency numbers. Even with just text, it is fully usable for purposes like sending location information to family in an SOS situation or exchanging current status with family. If you have a new iPhone, Apple's SOS function is compatible, so you could combine it with that. In emergencies, you could press Apple's SOS button, and at other times, you could use AU's Starlink Direct function for messaging. So, if you want to try it out, I recommend contracting with AU, trying it out, and reporting your experience in the comment section, as it will be helpful for everyone. I also plan to try it myself if I have the opportunity.
To summarize, we have explained what you can do with AU's Starlink Direct, which will eliminate dead zones with satellites. What you can do with Starlink Direct currently includes sending and receiving text messages, sharing current location information, researching with AI, and receiving J-Alerts such as emergency earthquake warnings. Data communication will be available after summer, and voice calls may be available in the future. To use Starlink Direct, you need an AU line contract, and only specific models, such as iPhone 14 or later, and specified models from designated Android manufacturers, totaling 50 models, are compatible. The usage fee is currently free, as long as you have a line contract. Data communication may incur additional charges in the future, but there is no information about that yet. If you look at the Garmin inReach video I explained previously, you will understand that this service is a price disruption. While the current functionality is not something I would immediately recommend using, as Starlink's satellite network expands and data communication becomes available, I am looking forward to the future. Are you all interested in smartphone satellite communication? Have you ever experienced dead zones? Please share your opinions and thoughts in the comment section.
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Okay, bonus corner. How was this video? Looking at the compatible models, they are mostly relatively new models. For iPhones, even the iPhone 14, released three years ago, is compatible. However, a new iPhone 16e costs around 100,000 yen, and a used iPhone 14 costs around 60,000 yen, which is quite a price. On the other hand, for Android, the AQUOS Sense 8 costs around 40,000 yen new and around 30,000 yen used, so you can introduce it at a relatively low price with Android. I personally have compatible iPhone and Android models for app testing, but currently, I only have Povo and UQ Mobile lines, not AU. So, I will probably switch my contract somewhere. Until now, when it came to mountains, it was always DoCoMo, but recently KDDI's signal is also available in many places. With the expansion of Starlink Direct, I feel that at least hikers will increasingly switch to AU. If data communication becomes available after this summer, it is highly likely that the Yamareko app will also be a top recommendation, depending on the price. If you can send location information from the app anywhere, searching for lost hikers will be almost unnecessary. You will know their exact location. Not only Yamareko, but there is also a function like "Find My" on iPhone. I am personally excited about the prospect of being able to handle cases where people who don't hike go to the mountains casually and go missing. Thank you for watching until the end.