Venezuela's La Guaira receives free satellite SMS service after June earthquakes

Following two major earthquakes on 24 June that struck the state of La Guaira, Venezuela's telecommunications regulator Conatel granted a temporary permit to Telefónica Venezolana (Movistar) to launch a Direct‑to‑Device (D2D) service. The three‑month authorization allows standard mobile phones to connect directly to SpaceX’s low‑Earth‑orbit Starlink satellites using two 1900 MHz blocks, with capacity shared among Movistar, Digitel and Movilnet.

In parallel, Digitel announced the activation of a free satellite‑based SMS service for LTE phones in the same area. The service, also powered by Starlink Mobile, requires no extra configuration or balance and works automatically when users have a clear line of sight to the sky. Both measures aim to restore communications for residents of La Guaira while terrestrial networks remain disrupted.