European Operator Threatens Starlink With Major Breakthrough

© Vodafone

With Starlink, we have the possibility of having a high-speed 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 that will allow to cover dead zones thanks to satellites that behave like telephone towers in space. But Starlink will have competitors, and among them is the British company Vodafone, which has just announced a major breakthrough.

“Vodafone has achieved the world’s first space video call using regular 4G/5G smartphones and satellites, which will allow multiple users in areas without mobile coverage to make and receive video calls, access the internet and use online messaging services”, the operator announced in a press release. It even claims to have “the only satellite technology of this type” capable of offering high-speed mobile coverage.

This technology is offered in partnership with the company AST SpaceMobile, in which Vodafone is an investor. This company already owns 5 satellites called Bluebird, which allow Vodafone to test its mobile coverage from space, with maximum data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps. And Vodafone says it will market the service across Europe by the end of the year and in 2026, to cover dead zones.

Starlink already plans calls

It’s worth noting that Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service also plans to support calls starting this year. But for now, in its test in the United States, with operator T-Mobile, Elon Musk’s company is offering a fairly limited capacity. In a post on X, he indicated that medium-resolution images, music and podcasts should be supported by the current generation of direct-to-cell satellites. But it’s likely that, thanks to the expansion of the constellation, Starlink will be able to offer better speeds, later.

Otherwise, it also has a global deployment plan. While T-Mobile is its 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 service competing with Starlink's Direct-to-cell, to connect smartphones in dead zones
• It has just carried out the first test for video calls
• With its partner AST SpaceMobile, Vodafone plans to deploy this technology across Europe starting this year

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