Australian operator Telstra teased the launch of a bundled offering of mobile and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity from Starlink to consumer and business customers towards the end of 2023.

In an post on the operator’s website, Telstra’s regional customer advocate Loretta Willaton noted it is partnering with the satellite provider to deliver voice and fixed broadband services in remote and hard-to-reach places

She said adding LEO satellite service as an option boosts connectivity in regional areas and “brings us a big leap closer to closing this digital divide”.

Willaton stated Telstra will offer “local tech support and the option of professional installation” in addition to the connectivity bundles.

Telstra has been field testing Starlink’s service to see how it can “best offer it to customers”, work which includes “evolving our own modem” to make it compatible.

Last month Telstra and OneWeb finalised an agreement to deliver mobile backhaul to remote areas.

In addition to Telstra, SpaceX has deals for its Starlink service with operators including T-Mobile US, KDDI, Spark and One New Zealand.