Global, February 5, 2026 – In a feat that sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie, Vodafone (a leading telecommunications company, providing mobile and fixed services) announced it successfully made the world’s first space video call in late January 2025.
What’s truly revolutionary? It was made from an area of no coverage using a standard mobile phone and commercial satellites. This wasn’t a sleek, purpose-built lab; it was orchestrated by a dedicated team of engineers, with a critical part of the setup built in a car park. Yes, a car park.
The challenge was monumental: build a new satellite gateway in weeks to enable a full mobile broadband experience from space. The journey began in early December, scouting for a temporary gateway location that could house a one-tonne, 2.4-meter satellite dish with clear, all-directional sky visibility.
The unlikely hero? A car park at Vodafone’s Newbury office. Sami Gabriel, Distinguished Engineer at Vodafone, captured the team’s ethos: “In the R&D team, we do a lot of trials so it’s a matter of finding a way to make it happen – no is not an acceptable answer.”
Transporting and assembling the dish was a logistical puzzle, involving a week-long wait for a suitable plane and then, surprisingly, sheer manpower to position the massive dish onto the car park’s top deck due to height restrictions.
Within three days, it was connected to Vodafone’s core network via cables and an upgraded base station. Power? A 100-meter extension cord. “It actually worked first time,” Sami quipped, highlighting the meticulous planning that defied the ad-hoc nature of the setup.
The next hurdle was connecting a smartphone directly to a satellite from a “not-spot”—an area with no mobile signal. Lead engineer Rowan Chesmer, along with colleague Abdirahman Farrah and his dog Odin, braved harsh January weather in remote Welsh valleys, even “re-farming” spectrum to prevent interference. Using a spectrum analyzer, they found the satellite signal – an “incredibly exciting” moment for Rowan and “euphoria” back at base for Sami.
The initial window for connection was tiny, with only two or three passes a day from a single satellite. But when AST SpaceMobile dedicated passes from all five of their BlueBird satellites, the window expanded to up to 12 passes.
This intensive coordination paid off. Through sheer grit, the team made a voice call, followed by the historic video call to Vodafone’s CEO Margherita in the early hours of January 29, 2025. History was, indeed, made.
So, when can you start making calls from space? The temporary gateway has since moved to a permanent home, with commercial services planned to launch later in 2026. This new network promises enough satellites to ensure constant 4G and 5G broadband coverage, “wherever you are.”
It’s a promise of true global connectivity, potentially eradicating dead zones forever. Vodafone isn’t just making calls; they’re redefining what it means to be connected.
