Months after launching into orbit, AST SpaceMobile's first BlueBird satellites have successfully powered a video call between two unmodified smartphones on the ground. US-based AST tested the technology in the UK with Vodafone,

Britain's Vodafone mobile network successfully tested a direct-to-smartphone satellite phone service as part of an effort to get around the long-standing problem of weak or "no signal" that plagues mo

Vodafone has made what it calls “the world’s first” satellite video call using a standard smartphone, in a test of a system it says will provide mobile broadband service to 4G and 5G phones without dedicated satellite hardware. The service, using satellites from SpaceX rival AST SpaceMobile, is expected to launch in Europe before the end of 2025.