Vodafone (VOD) and Amazon (AMZN) Sign Satellite Deal to Connect Mobile Masts in Europe and Africa

TLDR

• Vodafone has signed a deal with Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, to connect 4G and 5G masts in remote areas
• Amazon Leo offers download speeds up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds up to 400 Mbps
• Rollout begins in Germany and Europe in 2026, then expands across Africa via Vodacom
• The deal removes the need for expensive fibre cables in hard-to-reach locations
• Amazon Leo currently has over 200 satellites in orbit with hundreds more ready to launch

Vodafone has signed a deal with Amazon Leo, the low Earth orbit satellite network owned by Amazon, to connect 4G and 5G mobile masts in hard-to-reach areas across Europe and Africa.

The agreement was announced on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Amazon Leo will provide the backhaul connections that link Vodafone’s remote base stations back to its core telecom network.

Amazon.com, Inc., AMZN

The satellite service offers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 400 Mbps.

This removes the need to install fibre cables or fixed wireless links in areas where that would be too costly or time-consuming.

Vodafone said the deal makes it easier and cheaper to deploy mobile coverage in areas that currently have none.

European Rollout Starting in 2026

Vodafone will begin using Amazon Leo to connect base stations in Germany first, before expanding to other European countries later in 2026.

The two companies expect the first remote mobile sites to be connected this year.

From there, the rollout will move into Africa through Vodacom, Vodafone’s African subsidiary.

Vodacom operates across several African markets where remote and rural connectivity is a known challenge.

Amazon Leo currently has more than 200 satellites in orbit.

Hundreds more satellites have been built and are ready to be launched as the constellation expands.

Vodafone’s Broader Satellite Plans

Vodafone also has a separate satellite project in the works with AST SpaceMobile.

That deal is focused on providing satellite connections directly to standard smartphones, rather than to network masts.

Vodafone has not yet set a launch date for the AST SpaceMobile service.

The Amazon Leo deal is distinct and focuses on infrastructure backhaul, not direct-to-device connections.

Vodafone said the Amazon Leo rollout across Africa through Vodacom will be progressive, expanding as Amazon Leo builds out its satellite constellation further.

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