Europe's Space Race: Vodafone & AST SpaceMobile Choose Germany for Sovereign Satellite Control

by Prathik Jayaprakash

Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile Inc. have selected Germany as the location for their main Satellite Operations Centre (SOC), a strategic move designed to significantly strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty and mobile connectivity.

This decision follows the establishment of SatCo, the Luxembourg-headquartered satellite joint venture between Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile. The German SOC, which will be located near either Munich or Hannover pending final negotiations, will serve as the operations hub for the new European constellation.

The center's primary function will be to allocate and map satellite connectivity used by SatCo to serve Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) across Europe. This is critical for delivering ubiquitous mobile broadband in remote and underserved areas, as well as providing essential support for emergency services and disaster relief agencies (PPDR). MNOs in 21 European Union (EU) member states and other European countries have already expressed interest, with the commercial launch planned to commence from 2026.

Key Pillars of European Sovereignty and Security

The planned EU constellation, powered by AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites, is being built as the first space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard, unmodified smartphones. To ensure European control and security, the constellation will feature a sophisticated ‘command switch’:

• Oversight and Control: This capability will support the continuous updating of all telemetry, tracking, and control (TTC) encryption keys (for both space-to-smartphone and satellite-to-earth station links).

• Security Management: It allows for the modification of service encryption keys for communications across the continent and manages the precise activation, deactivation, and direction of satellite beams within Europe.

Supporting Emergency and Critical Communications

In line with the vision of the EU Critical Communication System (EUCCS), the constellation will enhance public protection and disaster relief efforts:

• It will provide reliable, broadband-speed connectivity directly from space to the everyday smartphones and cellular devices of emergency responders, ensuring communication even in the most dangerous and infrastructure-damaged environments.

• The satellites will support frequency bands suitable for PPDR radio communications (including MHz and MHz).

Executive Vision

Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone, stated: “SatCo delivers a sovereign satellite solution to the whole of Europe. By establishing a satellite constellation in the EU and our principal command center in Germany, we are ensuring the next frontier of communications infrastructure is firmly embedded in Europe.”

Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, added: “Together with Vodafone, we are accelerating the arrival of true mobile broadband from space across Europe. Germany’s Operations Centre will be the operations hub for our BlueBird constellation in Europe, enabling us to serve millions of users. We are building a robust, secure infrastructure that ensures Europe stays connected with seamless mobile broadband, always.”

Technical and Regulatory Integration

The SOC will house one of a network of ground-based gateway stations across Europe, providing secure backhaul links between the satellite constellation and terrestrial 4G/5G networks. This setup allows users to switch automatically between space-based and land-based coverage for resilient connectivity.

AST SpaceMobile has submitted the necessary filings through Germany with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the registration of a new mid-band satellite constellation, ensuring smooth integration with existing mobile telecoms networks. SatCo is also a candidate for access to the EU 2GHz Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum, which would enable MNOs to distribute a fully pan-European, sovereign, space-based broadband service directly to their customers.