Vodafone makes world's first satellite video call using standard smartphone

By Paul Sandle

LONDON (Reuters) - 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.

The European mobile operator's CEO Margherita Della Valle received the call on Monday from company engineer Rowan Chesmer, who was located in the Welsh mountains where there was no network signal.

"We were using the only satellite service that can offer a full mobile experience with a normal device, so you get everything from voice to text to video data transmission, which is why we did a full video call," Della Valle said in an interview on Wednesday.

"Our objective is to bring the service to our customers as soon as possible."

Vodafone is using AST SpaceMobile's five BlueBird satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide transmission speeds of up to 120 megabits per second for standard smartphones.

The British company is an investor in AST SpaceMobile, alongside AT&T, Verizon, Google and others.

Mobile operators and smartphone makers are racing to deploy satellite services to close gaps in network coverage.

Apple's devices since iPhone 14 have been able to use satellites to text emergency services, message friends and family and share location using low-bandwidth connections.

Rivals including Google and Samsung offer similar services.

T-Mobile U.S. and Elon Musk's SpaceX are testing Starlink satellites to provide text services, with voice and data to be added in the future.

Apple's latest iPhones and some Android devices are eligible to participate, according to T-Mobile.

Della Valle was joined by British astronaut Tim Peake at the launch of the company's space-to-land gateway at its UK headquarters in Newbury, west of London.

The gateway receives the signals sent from a user's smartphone via the satellite and connects them into its core network.

Peake, who in 2015 became the first Briton to visit the International Space Station and conduct a spacewalk, said providing mobile coverage using space-based tech was an "incredible breakthrough".

"Having spent six months on the space station living in a pretty remote and isolated environment, that ability to have a connection with family and friends is incredibly important," he told Reuters.

Peake, 52, who spent 186 days in space, said if another opportunity to join a mission came up, he would "put his hand in the air".

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Rod Nickel)