File photo
The telecom giant Vodafone is supporting a venture that aims to use satellites to enhance mobile broadband coverage to boost access to 4G across Africa.
The company has announced that it will invest $25m (£20m) in a space network, being developed by the American firm AST & Science which will provide broadband coverage, without the need to have a specialised handset.
The Texas-based company plans to launch the world's first low-earth-orbit satellite network, called SpaceMobile, that is able to connect directly to a smartphone.
The network's signal will enhance existing mobile phone coverage, especially in rural areas in Africa, or when a signal is disrupted in a crisis, with users automatically roaming from the land network to the space network.
Vodafone says the satellite network, which is likely to be tried in African markets first, will not be designed for high-density urban areas, which are already covered by terrestrial networks.
The mobile operator will help AST& Science validate its technology, provide ground equipment to support its satellites and help negotiate with regulators.
AST & Science has successfully tested its SpaceMobile technology using the BlueWalker 1 satellite, which was launched last April.
