Vodafone has successfully made the world’s first space video call using normal 4G/5G smartphones and satellites that will allow multiple users in areas of no mobile coverage to make and receive video calls, access the Internet and use online messaging services. It is the only satellite technology of its kind built to offer a full mobile broadband experience and paves the way for universal digital connectivity.
Unlike today’s satellite-based services, users do not need a special dish, terminal or expensive satellite phone to benefit from full mobile broadband connectivity. The service mirrors the experience of existing 4G and 5G mobile networks, enabling them to use everyday smartphones to switch between space and ground-based networks automatically.
Astronaut Tim Peake and Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, marked the call at Vodafone’s new space-to-land gateway, which receives and channels all the signals sent from a user’s smartphone via the BlueBird satellites of Vodafone’s partner, AST SpaceMobile. Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer put it to the test when he made the space-based video call to Margherita from a remote mountainous location, a valley in Ceredigion county in mid-Wales – where there has never been mobile broadband before.
Margherita said: “Our advanced European 5G network will now be complemented with cutting-edge satellite technology. We are bringing customers the best network and connecting people who have never had access to mobile communications before. This will help to close the digital divide, supporting people from all corners of Europe to keep in touch with family and friends, or work, as well as ensuring reliable rural connectivity in an emergency.”
Max Taylor, Vodafone UK’s Chief Executive added: “40 years after making the UK’s first mobile call, we’re proud to continue our legacy as the Nation’s Network by bringing connectivity to all parts of the UK. The use of satellites in conjunction with our land-based network will ensure customers have the coverage they deserve. We’re excited to have successfully tested the technology and look forward to making it more widely available in the UK.”
Tim Peake, who in 2015 became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station and conduct a spacewalk, added: “Having spent six months on the International Space Station, I can fully appreciate the value in being able to communicate with family and friends from remote and isolated locations. I am delighted to join Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile in this significant breakthrough.”
Operating from low Earth orbit, it is the only satellite service in the world today that offers mobile broadband directly to multiple 4G or 5G smartphones.