By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Leo Marchandon

(Reuters) -Elon Musk’s Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, secured its largest direct-to-cell deal yet with telecoms group Veon, granting access to over 150 million potential customers, both companies said on Thursday, as competition in satellite-to-smartphone connectivity intensifies.

Direct-to-cell technology allows smartphones to connect to satellite networks in space that beam telephone signals back to Earth.

The market has gained momentum with significant investment aimed at closing coverage gaps in remote areas.

The deal will enable Veon to integrate Starlink’s service into its networks, starting with operators Beeline in Kazakhstan and Kyivstar in Ukraine. Veon also operates in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.

Kyivstar will launch the

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