Vodafone Forms Open-Access Satellite Company to Close Europe's Connectivity Gaps

In the same keynote, AT&T's Stankey said company had achieved 40% improvement in software development efficiency through AI

Vodafone Forms Open-Access Satellite Company to Close Europe's Connectivity Gaps
Photo of Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle and AT&T CEO John Stankey

BARCELONA, March 5, 2026 — Vodafone Group, the London-based multinational telecommunications operator, launched a new open-access satellite company with three major European carriers signed on to deliver connectivity to mobile phones without hardware modifications.

Paris-based Orange, Madrid-based Telefonica, and the Norwegian state-owned Telenor Group — collectively representing 10 European markets — have signed on, Vodafone Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle announced Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Vodafone built the company, called Satellite Connect Europe, in partnership with AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based satellite communications firm.

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