Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile to launch Europe-led direct-to-smartphone satellite constellation

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile plan to build a satellite constellation to deliver satellite-to-smartphone connectivity across Europe for commercial and government applications. The Europe-focused network will enable standard mobile handsets to access cellular services where terrestrial coverage is unavailable, extending reach and resilience.

Discovered 2025-11-07T00:43:34.195586-08:00 | 2025-11-07T00:43:34.195586-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Adds a Europe-focused direct-to-device competitor that intensifies pressure on incumbent satcom and terrestrial mobile players; see our pragmatic take on the direct-to-device market (Globalstar, Iridium, Skylo, Viasat)
  • Reinforces commercial and government demand for dual-use mobile satcom, complementing recent rollouts such as Space42's Thuraya-4 activation and Astranis' Vanguard secure BLOS capability
  • Raises near-term regulatory and spectrum questions in Europe, alongside moves like Luxembourg's authorization for satellite 5G concessions and the ESA/industry 5G NR handover demonstration via OneWeb

https://hype.aero/?story=c84652c3-3624-45b6-90d6-a1148a41f8c3
https://hype.aero/?story=f96ed859-1545-4982-aed8-e15a2ba4efaa
https://hype.aero/?story=fa408910-a05d-4856-bbfa-0b79a9dc8908
https://hype.aero/?story=802bd42d-226f-4951-a6fe-1e1cbb8e6d2a
https://hype.aero/?story=1eb25bd2-f7c1-4373-ba6d-7cfceb6a123d

Reported By

SpaceWatch Global exterrajsc.com European Spaceflight spaceconomy360.it spacemedia.jp Space Daily
Sources Tracked
12
First Seen
2025-11-07T00:43:34.195586-08:00
Latest Update
2025-11-13T02:43:58.530033-08:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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