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 said it had made the world's first video call via satellite using a standard smartphone from a remote location, and it plans to roll out the technology for its users across Europe later this year and in 2026.

Vodafone has successfully completed the first-ever video call using a standard smartphone connected to a satellite network. This breakthrough was achieved in the Welsh mountains with no terrestrial network coverage.

The BlueBird satellites were able to relay the video call from a Vodafone engineer while he was based in a remote mountain region in the UK.

Vodafone has demonstrated the capabilities of a new satellite network by making what it calls the "world's first" satellite video call, albeit with some caveats. The company used partner AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites specifically designed to transmit 4G/5G mobile broadband signals from space.