Vodafone has successfully conducted the world’s first satellite-based video call using a standard smartphone from a remote location, with plans to expand the technology across Europe later this year and in 2026. The call was received by Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle on Monday from company engineer Rowan Chesmer, who was in the Welsh mountains without network coverage.
“We were using the only satellite service capable of delivering a full mobile experience on a regular smartphone—enabling voice, text, and video data transmission—which is why we chose to demonstrate a video call,” Della Valle said in an interview on Wednesday. “Our goal is to bring this service to customers as soon as possible.”
Vodafone is utilizing AST SpaceMobile’s five BlueBird satellites in low-Earth orbit, offering transmission speeds of up to 120 megabits per second for standard smartphones. The British telecom giant is an investor in AST SpaceMobile, alongside AT&T, Verizon, Google, and others.
With mobile operators and smartphone manufacturers racing to close network coverage gaps using satellite technology, Apple has already introduced emergency messaging and location-sharing via satellite on iPhones since the iPhone 14. Competitors like Google and Samsung are developing similar capabilities.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile U.S. and SpaceX’s Starlink are testing satellite-based text messaging services, with plans to introduce voice and data in the future. Some of Apple’s latest iPhones and select Android devices are eligible for participation, according to T-Mobile.
Della Valle was joined by British astronaut Tim Peake at Vodafone’s UK headquarters in Newbury for the launch of its space-to-land gateway, which receives signals from a user’s smartphone via satellite and connects them to the core network.
Peake, who became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station and perform a spacewalk in 2015, called the advancement an “incredible breakthrough.”
“Having spent six months on the space station in an isolated environment, I understand how vital it is to stay connected with family and friends,” Peake told Reuters. The 52-year-old, who spent 186 days in space, added that if given another opportunity for a mission, he would “put his hand in the air.”
