Vodafone bringing satellite video calls to your Galaxy phone soon?

Vodafone's new feature could bring satellite video calls to Galaxy phones

A Vodafone engineer recently made the world's first video call directly via satellite connectivity. Rowan Chesmer made a video call from a remote area in Wales to Vodafone Group's Chief Executive, Margherita Della Valle.

The new system, which works through AST SpaceMobile's low-earth orbit satellite constellation, offers a full mobile broadband experience even when there is no cellular network in the area. It offers download speeds of up to 120Mbps.

Vodafone said it is the world's first satellite service that offers full mobile broadband connectivity via satellites to regular 4G and 5G-equipped phones. What's interesting is that Vodafone is planning to make this service commercially available later this year. So, it can be used on any smartphone, including Samsung Galaxy phones.

It will be initially offered in select European countries. The service is planned to be expanded to other European regions in 2026. You can watch the first satellite video call in the video below.

In its press release, Vodafone said, “Five AST SpaceMobile satellites, called Bluebird 1 — 5, allow Vodafone to test mobile broadband connectivity directly to existing smartphones at peak data transmission speeds of up to 120Mbps.”

While other companies, such as T-Mobile, are planning to offer a similar service through its partnership with Starlink, it won't arrive anytime soon.

Image Credits: Vodafone YouTube/AST SpaceMobile