Vodafone invests $25m in space-based mobile network
Vodafone today said it has invested $25m (£19.5m) in a new space-based broadband network designed to provide mobile signal to devices anywhere on the planet.
The Space Mobile project, led by Texas-based AST & Science, is developing the first satellite system that will broadcast mobile broadband from space.
This will provide mobile users with signal when they are unable to connect to traditional networks, such as in remote locations on land or at sea or during natural disasters.
AST & Science has been testing the technology since the launch of its first test satellite — Blue Walker 1 — in April last year.
The service will use a low earth orbit satellite system, which operates between 400 and 1,200 miles above the earth’s surface. This is roughly 21,000 miles lower than normal geostationary satellites, and are therefore less expensive to build and launch.
These systems are also not fixed in space, moving instead at high speeds and passing traffic between them.
The Space Mobile project plans to serve all mobile subscribers who lose service when they travel, as well as customers in underserved areas around the world.
The service will be particularly attractive for rural communities, and is expected to be initially deployed for Vodafone customers in African markets.
The investment was carried out through Vodafone Ventures, the mobile network’s venture capital arm that invests in early stage telecoms technologies.
Vodafone said it will also help AST validate its technology, provide ground equipment to support the satellite network and help negotiations with regulators.
Main image credit: AST