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 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.