Vodafone-backed SatCo becomes Satellite Connect Europe, begins ground station build

• The SatCo joint venture between Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile has officially launched as Satellite Connect Europe
• The Luxembourg-based company appoints former Digicel exec Meredith Sharples as managing director and John Slamecka as chairman
• It is planning to build five ground stations across Europe and offer D2D services on a wholesale basis to European telcos

Vodafone’s wholesale satellite joint venture with AST SpaceMobile, initially announced in March 2025 and until now dubbed SatCo, has officially launched as Satellite Connect Europe, unveiling plans to deploy five ground stations across Europe that will help mobile operators across Europe to offer satellite-enabled direct-to-device (D2D) services to their customers.

As part of the launch, Satellite Connect Europe has unveiled its top team. Former Digicel Caribbean chief Meredith Sharples joins Satellite Connect Europe as managing director, while former AT&T Business International president John Slamecka has been named as chairman. Vodafone Group EU affairs director Darren Ennis is a board director. 

Other appointments include Florian Wopfner as head of finance; Beki Muinde, joins from Helios Towers to become general counsel and head of external affairs; and Daniel Thomas, head of sales and commercial, joins from Vodafone Group.

The company will be headquartered in Luxembourg and has already started building ground stations in Spain and the UK, while three more will be deployed across Europe, with locations currently being finalised.

“With our unique MNO-first approach, we are fully aligned with the ambitions of Europe’s service providers and regulators. We are positioned to complement existing terrestrial networks, enabling MNOs to deliver ubiquitous connectivity to their customers for the first time,” stated Sharples. 

Speaking at a briefing earlier this week, Vodafone representatives confirmed that one ground station alone would be enough to cover all of Europe, but added that the firm wants to build five to offer the best possible coverage and robustness.

The ground stations will link with AST SpaceMobile’s satellite fleet, which is due to launch its second satellite on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket imminently. New Glenn-3 (NG-3) is set to depart from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) with guidance for the launch currently stating no earlier than late February 2026. It aims to have 60 satellites in its cluster by the end of 2026, with the need for around 90 for uninterrupted, around-the-clock service coverage.

When Satellite Connect Europe is able to start offering commercial services, it’s expected to have an impact across Europe, according to Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. “Consumers across Europe will get a significant uplift in coverage experience through direct-to-device satellite connectivity – it will be one of the biggest leaps forward for coverage in decades. In a fast-moving market, it’s encouraging to see a direct-to-device satellite network delivering a solution for European operators.”

Given that VMO2 launched its own direct-to-device service in partnership with Starlink in the UK on Thursday, it is clear Vodafone, which invested an initial $60m in AST SpaceMobile, is willing to sacrifice being first for putting in place a solution that its engineers feel is right. During the briefing earlier this week, Vodafone said its key concern was offering a full broadband service, rather than just putting “base stations in space”.

AST SpaceMobile’s setup is different to that of Starlink, leveraging very large antenna units – 225 square metres on its upcoming BlueBird Block Two satellites – allowing it to cover a 48km diameter ground area with 2,000 beams per satellite. This, according to Vodafone, allows it to use very precise beam-forming to reach handsets on the ground (and vice versa) using existing spectrum.

Vodafone’s UK unit, VodafoneThree, will recycle legacy 2G spectrum for this purpose. The devices communicate directly to the satellite antennas, which then connect back to the ground stations and into the network.

AST SpaceMobile has already announced a number of mobile operator partners, including AT&T and Verizon in the US, where notably T-Mobile US has opted to team up with Starlink for its offering, T Satellite, which launched last year. 

The newly formed Satellite Connect Europe is expected to unveil several European partners in the coming weeks.

Tests have already begun on the technology: Last year, AT&T carried out what it claimed was the first ever voice over LTE (VoLTE) call and SMS over satellite, in partnership with AST, while Vodafone demonstrated video-calling capabilities last month to mark 30 years since the first UK mobile call.

Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer called Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle from a ‘not-spot’ atop a mountain in Wales, leveraging AST SpaceMobile’s technology and a ground station set up at the operator’s Newbury, UK headquarters.

Despite this, no timeline has been given for when Vodafone, Satellite Connect Europe or any of its partners will begin offering satellite services to their customers. 

But we can expect to hear a lot more about D2D services and satellite communications in general during MWC26 – for more on the major trends likely to shape the industry over the coming week, check out the newly published and free-to-download TelecomTV report, MWC26 Hot Trends: A Barcelona Preview.

- James Pearce, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV