Vodafone makes a first satin video call from an ordinary smartphone

Vodafone has made what you call a “World First Satellite” video call using a system of system that says it will provide a wide range of mobile phone service for 4G and 5G mobile phones without customized devices. Service, using satellites from Spacex competitor AST Spacemobile, are It is expected to launch In Europe before the end of 2025.

Last year Spacex A video of its Starlink video show showed Among two employees in the United States using “unbred and modified phones”. This means that Vodafone’s efforts may not be completely universal, although unlike Spacex, a remote area has been connected that does not seem to be an apparently existing cell service.

AT & T and Verizon They also cut deals with AST Spacembile based in Texas to provide phone services to the satellite across the United States. The company has FCC approval To start a US -based coverage test for AT & T this spring, which means that it is likely to fall back to Europe.

As for the Vodafone demonstration, an engineer (magical, his dog) invited the CEO of Vodafone Margherita Della Valle from a “mountainous remote area” that the company says the company says has not had mobile coverage before. Quality is not primitive – volatile video, with remarkable delay – but the call, which lasts about 45 seconds, looks stable.

Vodafone has made a partnership with AST Spacemobile Satellite Service, using the five satellites Low Earth Orbit Bluebird that the company has launched so far. The signal is directed by a gate from one area to another connecting the satellites to the Vodafone Ground Network. Vodafone sees it as a “complementary” technique that can bridge the gaps in its current portable network, covering remote areas including mountains and outside at sea. It is expected that the “direct satellite service for mobile phones” closes the last remaining coverage gaps “in Europe in 2026.

The AST Spacemobile satellite system is connected to standard 4G and 5G signals, so there is no condition for using the phone with custom satellite components. Besides video calls, Vodafone says it provides a “full -scale experience via mobile phone”, with peak speeds up to 120 megabytes per second, which “exceeds other satellite towers with Earth orbit that has only facilitated text messages so far.”

Satellite connection is already available on Some iPhone and Google Pixel devices This includes specific modem components, but they are often limited to emergency alerts, site exchange and SMS messages. T-Mobile is a trial test Its American network for partnership with Starlink Direct-To-Cell, which will also work with standard smartphones, although this will be limited to text messages in the beginning, with calls and data added in the future.

“The function of Vodafone is to contact everyone, regardless of their whereabouts,” says Della Valley. “We bring customers the best network and link people who have not been able to reach mobile communications before. This will help to close the digital gap, and support people from all the corners of Europe to stay in contact with family and friends, or work, in addition to ensuring reliable rural contact in Emergency status.

There has been no advertisement yet about the pricing of the service.