Vodafone announced on January 29 that it successfully conducted the world's first video call via satellite using a standard smartphone from a remote location. The company plans to introduce this technology to its users across Europe later this year and by 2026.
CEO Margherita Della Valle received the call from engineer Rowan Chesmer in the Welsh mountains without any network signal. Della Valle explained in an interview that they utilized a satellite service that provides a full mobile experience, enabling voice, text, and video data transmission.
Vodafone is leveraging AST SpaceMobile's five BlueBird satellites in low-Earth orbit to offer transmission speeds of up to 120 megabits per second for standard smartphones. The company is an investor in AST SpaceMobile, collaborating with AT&T, Verizon, Google, and others.
Various mobile operators and smartphone manufacturers are racing to implement satellite services to address network coverage gaps. Apple's recent devices, since iPhone 14, can interact with satellites for emergency services, messaging, and location sharing using low-bandwidth connections. Similar services are being offered by competitors like Google and Samsung.
T-Mobile U.S. and Elon Musk's SpaceX are testing Starlink satellites to provide text services, with plans to add voice and data services in the future. Apple's latest iPhones and select Android devices are compatible with this feature.
At the launch event of Vodafone's space-to-land gateway in Newbury, with the presence of British astronaut Tim Peake, the gateway was described as a technology that receives signals from users' smartphones via satellite and integrates them into the core network.
Peake, the first Briton to conduct a spacewalk during his 186-day stay at the International Space Station in 2015, emphasized the significance of mobile connectivity via space-based technology for maintaining connections with loved ones in remote environments. Peake, 52, expressed his willingness to participate in future space missions if given the opportunity.