A long-term agreement announced this week by AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone paves the way for Vodafone to offer space-based cellular broadband in its home markets, as well as through other operators in its Partner Markets program.
AST SpaceMobile is building what it described as the first and only space-based global cellular broadband network to operate with unmodified mobile devices. In September the company announced the launch of its first five commercial satellites, called BlueBirds.
The satellites are equipped with extensive antenna arrays capable of connecting directly to standard smartphones, delivering cellular broadband speeds for voice, data, video, and various government applications beyond traditional communications.
Vodafone, one of the largest telecommunications businesses worldwide, has been a three-time investor (since 2018) in AST SpaceMobile and a partner in its technology development. For example, AST SpaceMobile and its partners demonstrated greater than 20 Mbps download speeds to unmodified phones on a 5 MHz channel.
The new agreement between AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone, which will be in effect through 2034, underlines a “milestone” in the implementation of AST SpaceMobile’s network infrastructure. It includes Vodafone’s first order for the Block 1 BlueBird gateway.
In use, smartphones will connect to AST SpaceMobile’s low-Earth-orbit satellites, which will direct data to the gateway. The gateways will integrate with Vodafone’s existing network infrastructure to deliver broadband data to users’ devices and provide access to third-party apps and the internet.
The advanced Block 2 BlueBird satellites, equipped with expansive communications arrays spanning up to 2,400 square feet, are engineered to provide up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the current BlueBird satellites. These next-generation satellites support peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps, enabling seamless voice, data, and video services, the companies described in the announcement.
In early 2024, AST SpaceMobile announced the launch of a public offering of $100 million of its Class A common stock. AST SpaceMobile said additional strategic investment in 2024 came from AT&T, Google, Verizon, and Vodafone. The company also earned new contract awards with the U.S. government, directly and through prime contractors.
AST SpaceMobile has agreements with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, representing more than 2.8 billion existing subscribers total, including Vodafone Group and many others.
