NAIROBI, Mar 2 – Vodafone has signed an agreement with Amazon Kuiper to connect 4G and 5G mobile towers in remote regions of Europe and Africa, marking a significant step in satellite enabled telecom infrastructure.
The partnership will allow Vodafone to use Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite system to link base stations in areas where deploying fibre optic cables would be costly or impractical. According to the company, the satellite service will support download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and upload speeds of as much as 400 megabits per second.
Vodafone said it plans to begin connecting mobile masts in Germany and other European markets later this year. The rollout will then extend into Africa through its listed subsidiary Vodacom, broadening connectivity in underserved communities.
Amazon’s satellite network currently has more than 200 satellites in orbit, with several hundred additional units completed and awaiting launch, according to Vodafone.
Separately, Vodafone is preparing to introduce direct to device satellite services for customers using standard smartphones through a partnership with AST SpaceMobile. However, the company has not yet confirmed a commercial launch date for those services.
The agreement reflects a broader industry shift toward integrating satellite technology with terrestrial mobile networks to close coverage gaps and accelerate digital inclusion, particularly in rural and remote areas across emerging markets.
