Vodacom plan for Amazon satellites

Vodacom plans to deploy Amazon’s Project Kuiper in South Africa once the company’s production satellites come online.

This is according to a Vodacom spokesperson, who told MyBroadband that it aims to fill in its signal gaps using the satellite service.

“Vodacom and Vodafone remain committed in their ambition to potentially use Amazon’s Project Kuiper to extend the reach of their network coverage in Africa,” Vodacom said.

“It is envisaged that Vodacom, Vodafone and Project Kuiper would potentially begin deploying services in Africa and Europe when Amazon’s production satellites come online.”

Project Kuiper uses low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, like Elon Musk’s Starlink, to provide fixed, low-latency broadband connectivity.

Amazon launched its first two satellites at the end of 2023 as part of its initiative to build a massive constellation comprising 3,326 satellites to offer the Project Kuiper service.

Vodacom told MyBroadband that terrestrial networks are still superior to LEO services. However, these satellite-based services can supplement on-the-ground intelligent manual transmission networks.

South African businesses and consumers have adopted satellite connectivity using fixed access points. This is most common in areas without fibre or mobile network access.

Following the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa’s) public hearing on proposed satellite frameworks in the country, Vodacom says there is room for improvement.

“We welcome the authority’s consultation in this regard, noting that satellite services have the potential to supplement mobile terrestrial services subject to appropriate regulatory terms and conditions,” the Vodacom spokesperson said.

However, it said that it is concerned about some of the proposals that are not adequately substantiated and, in some cases, “appear to suggest a proposed approach that is not supported in law.”

Another form of satellite communications with significant potential benefit is direct-to-device (D2D) technology.

This uses LEO satellite networks with specialised antennas to allow regular 4G and 5G smartphones to make calls, send SMSs, and use mobile data in areas without cellphone towers.

Vodafone, Vodacom’s parent company, has been one of the earliest movers on D2D in Africa, having partnered with AST SpaceMobile to plug its connectivity gaps on the continent.

In September 2023, Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile completed the world’s first space-based 5G voice call using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite.

One significant development from 2024 was AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone breaking their previous space-based cellular broadband data session record by achieving a download rate of nearly 14Mbps.

“With its ability to provide mobile broadband connectivity to standard, unmodified mobile devices across the continent, this new technology has the potential to connect millions of people in the remotest regions to the internet for the first time,” Vodacom said at the time.

In February 2024, Vodafone revealed that it made the world’s first satellite video call on a normal smartphone.

Engineer Rowan Chesmer called Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle from a remote area in Wales with no cellular coverage.

Chesmer placed the call over the BlueBird satellite owned and operated by Vodafone’s partner, AST SpaceMobile.

This came after Della Valle and astronaut Tim Peake unveiled the first space-to-land gateway in Europe, which seamlessly connected satellites to Vodafone’s terrestrial network.

“It is the only satellite technology of its kind built to offer a full mobile broadband experience and paves the way for universal digital connectivity and the closure of mobile coverage gaps,” Vodafone said in a statement.