Australia’s largest telco is set to launch direct-to-handset services via satellite, aiming to lift the connectivity of rural Australians with the ability to send text messages from their smart phones almost anywhere in the country.

(Reuters) -Top Australian telco Telstra said on Thursday it is collaborating with billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring satellite connectivity technology to its regional customers. Telstra has partnered with satellite-based internet provider Starlink to bring the latter's Starlink-to-Mobile technology to Australia,