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
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.
