Vodafone is in line, within two years, to add a low-earth orbit satellite layer to its mobile networks in Africa through the Group’s strategic relationship with US venture SpaceMobile. Actual service release dates have not yet been firmed up by SpaceMobile’s launch clients, the first batch of its 243‑satellite constellation is scheduled to come into operation in late‑2022, covering territories in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Initial stage will bring as many as 1.6 billion people within range of SpaceMobile signals, according to Avellan. It will see services targeted at Vodafone territories such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, while other choice markets are expected to include Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
SpaceMobile — one of a new generation of ventures based around alternative, LEO- or high altitude-based connectivity solutions — debuted its first satellite in 2019, for tests, and is expected to launch a second in 2021. There have been indications it intends to bring its full constellation into operation by 2023. Its top-down service will be based on frequencies in common usage by cellular players, and is therefore being pitched as a seamless, coverage-enhancing add‑on to existing mobile networks — thus giving capital-squeezed telcos an operating expenditure-based means to bring their services to more people. Mobile network operators (MNO) that sign up to use SpaceMobile will do so on a wholesale basis, retaining ‘ownership’ of the end‑customer.