Vodafone plans rollout of Starlink rival AST to connect remote areas

Starlink-rival AST SpaceMobile Inc. is working with Vodafone Group Plc to bring a commercial satellite-to-mobile broadband service to customers in Europe as soon as this year.

The technology will provide people in areas with poor mobile signal with 4G or 5G connectivity beamed straight from satellites connected to Vodafone’s core network, the Newbury, England-based telecommunications company said on Wednesday. The service could launch later this year or early next, it said.