Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer video called the company’s Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle from the remote mountains in mid-Wales
Forty years after claiming the U.K.’s first mobile phone call, Vodafone said it has achieved another landmark milestone: The world’s first non-terrestrial video call using a regular, unmodified 4G/5G smartphones and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites.
The 1985 mobile phone was made by Sir Ernest Harrison, Vodafone’s founder and first chairman, to his father from London’s Parliament Square. This time, though, Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer — and his dog — video called the company’s Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle from the remote mountains in mid-Wales, a location in which mobile broadband has never previously been. It was accomplished any special equipment, and the company claimed the service, which allows for regular smartphones to switch between space and ground-based networks automatically, “mirrors the experience of existing 4G and 5G mobile networks.”
AST SpaceMobile confirmed the successful launch of its first five BlueBird satellites in September. The satellites are destined for low Earth orbit, providing the basis for initial commercial non-terrestrial network (NTN) services. According to AST SpaceMobile, the beams from its BlueBird satellites are designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, delivering peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps. In addition to its support from Vodafone, the company has secured strategic investments from Google and Rakuten as well as contracts with the United States Government through prime contractors. Further, more than 45 mobile operators around the world have signed agreements with the satellite company. These include AT&AT, Verizon, Bell Canada, Orange, Telefonica, TIM, Saudi Telecom Company, MTN, Zain KSA, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Globe Telecom.
Cellular and NTN convergence was identified as a game changer at the satellite industry’s flagship show in 2024. One moderator even referred to it as the “Great Convergence.” Technical and business challenges remain, of course, but the overall vision is that NTN’s extended reach can push coverage of 4G/5G basic services like mobile data, voice calls and messaging, across all sorts of challenging geographical locations and terrains, as well as deliver simplified 5G roaming solutions and 5G network backhaul support.
“Vodafone’s job is to get everyone connected, no matter where they are. Our advanced European 5G network will now be complemented with cutting-edge satellite technology,” Della Valle said of the latest announcement. “We are bringing customers the best network and connecting people who have never had access to mobile communications before. This will help to close the digital divide, supporting people from all corners of Europe to keep in touch with family and friends, or work, as well as ensuring reliable rural connectivity in an emergency.”
