Vodafone made history with the world's first satellite video call using a standard smartphone from a remote location in Welsh mountains.
CEO Margherita Della Valle received the call from engineer Rowan Chesmer in an area with no network coverage, demonstrating the technology's potential.
The service uses AST SpaceMobile's five BlueBird satellites, capable of delivering speeds up to 120 megabits per second.
Vodafone plans to roll out this technology across Europe in late 2025 and 2026, aiming to close coverage gaps.
The system uses a space-to-land gateway at Vodafone's UK headquarters to connect satellite signals to its core network.
British astronaut Tim Peake endorsed the technology as an "incredible breakthrough" for remote connectivity.
Unlike other satellite services, Vodafone's solution offers full mobile experience including voice, text, and video without special hardware.
Major tech companies including AT&T, Verizon, and Google are investors in AST SpaceMobile alongside Vodafone.
The service competes with limited satellite features from Apple, Google, and Samsung that currently only offer emergency texting and location sharing.
T-Mobile and SpaceX are developing a similar service called Starlink Direct-to-Cell, though initially limited to text messages only.