Vodafone is exploring a European satellite-spectrum bid alongside three rival telecom operators even though its existing venture with AST SpaceMobile had already identified those frequencies as a potential target.
On Monday, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telefónica signed a letter of intent to consider a joint application for European Mobile Satellite Services spectrum. The operators plan to establish ground infrastructure, coordination, and monitoring functions in Europe while leaving satellite deployment to an outside provider they have yet to select.
That omission is significant for AST, whose European business is already tied to Vodafone.
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Satellite Connect Europe, established as a joint venture between the companies in 2025 and formally launched in February, has exclusive European access to AST’s low-Earth-orbit satellite services, according to Vodafone. It plans to deploy five European ground stations.
In a November 2025 announcement, Vodafone said the joint venture was a candidate for access to the EU’s 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Services spectrum.
AST moved to associate itself with the agreement on Monday. It described all four operators as mobile-network partners and highlighted its BlueBird satellites and European-operated ground infrastructure.
The Texas-based company said the European market has more than 500 million mobile subscribers.
The regulatory timetable raises the stakes. Current 2 GHz spectrum rights held by Viasat and EchoStar expire in May 2027. Under a European Commission proposal introduced in May, 2 × 10 MHz would be reserved for EU-controlled commercial providers, while another 2 × 10 MHz would be open to eligible European and non-European operators. A separate allocation would support governmental communications.
The proposed authorisations would last 20 years, with upfront financial contributions and annual fees whose precise levels have not been established. The regulatory framework remains subject to approval.
This follows a Bloomberg report of the discussions on September 7, citing people familiar with the matter.
