Historic event: out-of-area satellite video call made from a regular phone

The world's first successful satellite video call. It was carried out by Vodafone, the British telecommunications company, using a standard mobile phone and AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites.

Unveiling the potential of the satellite network

29 January A Vodafone satellite video call took place in a remote area of Wales, where mobile communications are not normally available. 

It was a real-life example of the potential of a satellite network to deliver 4G/5G mobile broadband services from space.

During the demonstration, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle called an engineer and the connection was established using BlueBird satellites, which communicated directly with the smartphone and relayed the signal to Vodafone's terrestrial network.

Although the call quality was slightly lower and there was a slight delay, this demonstration proved that satellite communications can support mobile video calls even where traditional mobile infrastructure is not available.

A technology that could change the rules of the game

Five BlueBird satellites can provide connection speeds of up to 120 Mbps, allowing voice, data and video connections to be made using conventional smartphones even where connectivity was previously unavailable.

This technological breakthrough could be a game-changer in remote communities. And for travellers who have so far relied only on limited satellite phone services.

AST SpaceMobile plans to extend this technology to rural areas and national parks, providing connectivity where traditional mobile towers do not work.

SpaceX Starlink has already made similar video calls via satellites. However, Vodafone claims that their satellite video call is the first to be implemented entirely without mobile network coverage.

May be operational in Europe by the end of 2025

Unlike other networks that only support SMS or emergency signals, Vodafone's system aims to provide a complete broadband experience. The technology is expected to be available in Europe by the end of 2025.

Trials in the US will start this spring, but the exact date of release and pricing details have not yet been announced.

Once fully deployed, this satellite network will make high-quality mobile broadband services available to millions of people around the world who have not had access to reliable connectivity until now.