Vodafone and AST Plan European Satellite Constellation

Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile plan to form a European satellite constellation for their joint venture SatCo. It will include a command switch feature to support sovereignty, oversight, and security on the continent.

As part of the plans, the duo has selected Germany as the location for the main Satellite Operations Centre, located near either Munich or Hannover, depending on final negotiations. The center will be used to allocate and map satellite connectivity used by SatCo to serve operators across Europe.

In addition to commercial mobile broadband services, the planned EU constellation will support public protection and disaster relief efforts by providing connectivity from space to smartphones and other devices, even in the most dangerous and challenging environments. A filing has been made with the ITU through Germany to register a new mid-band satellite constellation.

The command switch feature is designed to support all telemetry, tracking, and control encryption keys for S-band, which is used to connect smartphones from space. It will also aid the Q/V band, which can provide links between satellite and earth stations. The feature allows for the modification of service encryption keys for communications across the continent and manages the activation, deactivation, and direction of satellite beams in Europe.

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile unveiled the SatCo joint venture at this year's MWC Barcelona. It is imagined as a jointly owned satellite business to serve MNOs in Europe. In June, it fleshed out plans to roll out commercial services in 2026, with operators in 21 European Member states showing interest in the proposition. Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group CEO, said that by establishing a satellite constellation in the EU and a command centre in Germany, they are ensuring that the next frontier of communications infrastructure is firmly embedded in Europe.