Vodafone Ireland makes satellite mobile video call in Ireland
- Vodafone Ireland and Satellite Connect Europe completed Ireland’s first satellite-based mobile video call using a standard smartphone in March 2026.
- The call linked Clare Island, County Mayo, to Dublin over an AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite.
- The test supports Satellite Connect Europe’s plan to expand direct-to-device services for European mobile operators.
Vodafone Ireland and Satellite Connect Europe completed Ireland’s first satellite-based mobile video call using a standard smartphone in March 2026. The call connected a mobile dead zone in Clare Island, County Mayo, with Dublin using an AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite.
Vodafone Ireland engineer Robert Ivers placed the call from Clare Island to Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina Casalta in Dublin. Vodafone said the test used a standard smartphone and was designed to support direct-to-device, or D2D, satellite connectivity that can extend coverage in rural areas and maintain service during network outages.
Satellite Connect Europe is a joint venture launched by Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile in 2025 to serve MNOs, or mobile network operators, across Europe. The venture has exclusive European access to AST SpaceMobile’s low Earth orbit satellite constellation and has partnerships with CK Hutchison, Orange, Telefonica and Sunrise; the Ireland test follows a January 2025 UK trial in Wales that Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile said was the world’s first satellite-based mobile video call on a standard smartphone.
Related Questions
- Did Vodafone Ireland make a satellite video call with a normal smartphone?
- Yes. Vodafone Ireland said it completed Ireland’s first satellite-based mobile video call using a standard smartphone and an AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite.
- Where did Vodafone Ireland test satellite mobile service in Ireland?
- Clare Island in County Mayo was the test location. The call was made from a mobile dead zone there to Dublin.
- What is Satellite Connect Europe?
- Satellite Connect Europe is a joint venture launched by Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile in 2025 to provide direct-to-device satellite services to European mobile network operators.
More from Technology
TL;DR: Developing Telecoms published an article on AI-powered networks for enterprise digital transformation. The article says enterprise networks now...
TL;DR: VSCO added five new AI-powered editing tools to its AI Lab on March 26, 2026. The update brings the total number of AI Lab tools to eight. 9to5...
TL;DR: GSMA said telecom operators shifted from broad AI messaging to more practical deployment discussions at MWC 2026. The GSMA highlighted agentic...
TL;DR: Apple researchers said on March 25, 2026 that they developed a new training method for image-captioning AI models. 9to5Mac reported the method...
TL;DR: Google has introduced new Android app verification rules for apps installed outside the Google Play Store. The changes make it harder for devel...
TL;DR: Light Reading reported that telecom operators face rising risks as they adopt agentic AI systems that can act with limited human oversight. The...