Months after launching into orbit, AST SpaceMobile's first BlueBird satellites have successfully powered a video call between two unmodified smartphones on the ground. US-based AST tested the technology in the UK with Vodafone,

Britain's Vodafone mobile network successfully tested a direct-to-smartphone satellite phone service as part of an effort to get around the long-standing problem of weak or "no signal" that plagues mo

Vodafone has made what it calls “the world’s first” satellite video call using a standard smartphone, in a test of a system it says will provide mobile broadband service to 4G and 5G phones without dedicated satellite hardware. The service, using satellites from SpaceX rival AST SpaceMobile, is expected to launch in Europe before the end of 2025.

In a bid to bring coverage to connectivity blackspots, Vodafone has teamed up with AST SpaceMobile to make calls using satellites.

Vodafone Group and partner AST SpaceMobile asserted they had got a jump on rivals in the space connectivity race after conducting what they stated is the world’s first video call using a smartphone and satellites in an area with no mobile coverage.

Vodafone has demonstrated the capabilities of a new satellite network by making what it calls the "world's first" satellite video call, albeit with some caveats. The company used partner AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites specifically designed to transmit 4G/5G mobile broadband signals from space.

Vodafone made a world-first video call over satellite using a normal smartphone, with commercial services starting later this year.