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Vodafone has successfully made the world's first space video call via telephone and satellite

Politiko 2025-02-03 18:21:54

Vodafone has successfully made the world's first space video call via

Vodafone has successfully carried out the world's first space video call using 4G/5G smartphones and satellites, which will enable many users in areas without mobile coverage to make and receive video calls, access the internet and use the online messaging service.

This is the only satellite technology of its kind built to deliver a complete mobile broadband experience, paving the way for universal digital connectivity and closing the gaps left by limited mobile network coverage.

The video call was made between Rowuan Chesmer, a Vodafone engineer, and Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive Officer, from a remote area in Wales, UK, using satellites built to deliver a full mobile broadband experience, in collaboration with Vodafone's partner, AST SpaceMobile.

Unlike today's satellite services, users do not need a separate satellite dish, nor an expensive satellite terminal or phone to benefit from full mobile broadband connectivity. The service they will receive is based on the existing experience of 4G and 5G mobile networks, enabling them to use their everyday smartphones and automatically switch from the space network to the terrestrial one and vice versa.

“Vodafone’s mission is to ensure that everyone is connected, no matter where they are. Our advanced European 5G network will now be complemented by the most advanced satellite technology. We are bringing the best network to customers and providing access to those who have never had it before in mobile communications. This will reduce the digital divide, supporting people across Europe to stay in touch with friends and family, as well as ensuring connectivity in emergencies,” said Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group.

This is the only satellite service in the world today that operates from low Earth orbit and delivers mobile broadband directly to many 4G or 5G smartphones or works seamlessly as an extension of Vodafone's main networks on the ground. Satellite is a complementary technology, providing valuable coverage where there is currently no viable mobile or fixed alternative. Together, the satellite service and terrestrial network will give Europe a communications infrastructure for use in any location, including mountains or the open sea.

Today's call is a historic achievement for Europe on this exciting future technology front. It comes 40 years after Vodafone made the first mobile call in the UK, when Michael Harrison called his father, Sir Ernest Harrison, Vodafone's founder and first CEO, just after midnight on 1 January 1985 from Parliament Square, London.

Vodafone Group aims to offer the first commercial satellite broadband service directly to smartphones by 2025 or 2026.