For the purpose of expanding the coverage of its 4G and 5G telecom networks in Europe and Africa, Vodafone (VOD.L) intends to collaborate with Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite constellation Project Kuiper.
The high-bandwidth, low-latency satellites developed by Project Kuiper, according to the British mobile operator, will be used to link mobile base stations in remote areas to its core networks, doing away with the need for fixed wireless or fibre-based connections.
Before beginning to deploy production satellites in 2024 for its network, which will compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink, OneWeb, and other providers, Amazon (AMZN.O) is getting ready to test two prototype satellites in the upcoming months.
In addition to providing services to businesses, such as backup connections, Vodafone and Amazon announced they will strive to expand Project Kuiper’s high-speed broadband services to underserved regions around the world.
The collaboration will enable both companies’ customers to “get the most value from expanded connectivity, particularly in areas like residential broadband, agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation, and financial services,” according to Dave Limp, senior vice president for devices and services at Amazon.
Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone, stated that the partnership will support the British company’s ongoing work with AST SpaceMobile to create a space-based mobile network that would link with regular mobile phones without the use of specialised hardware.
Last month, Telefonica announced a partnership with Starlink to offer internet access to consumers in remote and rural areas.
