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 said it had made the world's first video call via satellite using a standard smartphone from a remote location, and it plans to roll out the technology for its users across Europe later this year and in 2026.

Vodafone announced it successfully conducted the world’s first video call via satellite using a standard smartphone. The call was made by engineer Rowan Chesmer from a remote location to CEO Margherita Della Valle.

Vodafone is prepared to go head-to-head this year against Elon Musk’s Starlink in the ‘battle for space connectivity’. AST SpaceMobile (AST) connectivity

The BlueBird satellites were able to relay the video call from a Vodafone engineer while he was based in a remote mountain region in the UK.