Vodafone has entered a partnership with Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, Amazon LEO (AMZN.O), to link 4G and 5G towers in hard-to-reach areas across Europe and Africa.
Vodafone has partnered with Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, Amazon Leo, to connect 4G and 5G mobile towers in remote regions across Europe and Africa.
Amazon Leo is part of Amazon’s multi-billion-dollar space initiative aimed at delivering high-speed, low-latency internet from orbit. Unlike traditional geostationary satellites that circle far from Earth, LEO satellites operate much closer, reducing latency and improving performance for real-time services like video calls, cloud applications, and mobile data.
Deployment across Europe and Africa
The agreement allows Amazon Leo to offer download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of 400 Mbps. This will enable Vodafone to link its core network to base stations in hard-to-reach locations without the high costs of laying fibre infrastructure, according to Reuters.
Vodafone plans to start deploying the satellite connectivity in Germany and other European markets later this year, followed by gradual expansion across Africa through its subsidiary, Vodacom.
Amazon Leo currently operates more than 200 satellites, with hundreds more built and awaiting launch, giving it the capacity to support telecom operators seeking alternative backhaul solutions.
Separately, Vodafone intends to provide direct-to-device satellite connectivity for customers with standard smartphones via a partnership with AST SpaceMobile, though no launch date has been confirmed for this service.
If scaled successfully, the Vodafone–Amazon Leo collaboration could transform rural connectivity in Africa, reducing the digital divide and accelerating digital inclusion across the continent.