Mobile network Vodafone says it has made the world’s first space-based video call using a normal 5G-equipped smartphone and coverage from commercial satellites.
The firm said its service is the only satellite technology to offer a full mobile broadband experience in areas of no mobile coverage. The technology can allow multiple users in these areas to make and receive video calls, access the internet and use online messaging services, and could help to close gaps in mobile coverage.
The service is provided by Texas-based start-up AST SpaceMobile, in which Vodafone became a lead investor in 2019. It has been slowly building up its space-based cellular broadband network since September 2023, when it demonstrated the technology on a 5G voice and data connection.
The firm is similar to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which operates a constellation of over 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide broadband data to devices on the ground. That firm also plans to launch a direct-to-smartphone service...