Thanks to Starlink, we have the possibility of having a broadband connection at home, in places that do not have access to fiber. And Elon Musk’s company is also about to deploy a service called Direct-to-Cell which will cover white areas thanks to satellites that behave like towers in space. But Starlink will have competitors and, among these, there is the British company Vodafone, which has just announced a major breakthrough.
“Vodafone succeeded in the first spatial video call in the world using normal 4G/5G smartphones and satellites, which will allow several users in areas without mobile coverage to make and receive video calls, access the Internet and use online messaging services ”announces the operator in a press release. He even says he “The only satellite technology of this type” Capable of offering high speed mobile coverage.
This technology is offered in partnership with the AST Spacemobile company, of which Vodafone is an investor. This company already has 5 satellites called BlueBird, which allow Vodafone to test its mobile coverage from space, with maximum data transmission speeds up to 120 Mbps. And Vodafone indicates that it will market this service through Europe towards the end of the year and in 2026, to cover the white areas.
Starlink already provides calls
It should be noted that the Direct-to-Cell service of Starlink also plans to take care of calls from this year. But for the moment, as part of its test in the United States, with the operator T-Mobile, the company of Elon Musk offers a fairly limited capacity. In a publication on X, he indicated that average resolution images, music and podcasts should be taken care of by the current generation of direct-to-cell satellites. But it is likely that, thanks to the extension of the constellation, Starlink will be able to offer better speeds later.
Otherwise, it also has a global deployment plan. If T-Mobile is his partner in the United States, Starlink also works with operators in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, Chile and Peru. In addition, Starlink has formalized a partnership with the operator Kyivstar in Ukraine.
- Vodafone is preparing a direct-to-cell competitor service from Starlink, to connect smartphones in white areas
- This has just completed the first test for video calls
- With its partner AST Spacemobile, Vodafone intends to deploy this technology across Europe from this year
