MTN makes Africa’s first satellite phone call in South Africa

MTN South Africa has collaborated with American low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite provider Lynk Global to make Africa’s first phone call via satellite. Announced on Thursday, the duo said the milestone is a step towards providing coverage for underserved communities and rural areas.

The satellite call, which was made in Vryburg, the North West province of South Africa, was part of a technical trial that enabled MTN and Lynk Global to test its voice-call quality using a standard smartphone and SMS capabilities over a LEO satellite connection.

Reacting to the development, MTN South Africa Chief Executive Officer Charles Molapisi noted that the call showed MTN’s ability to complement its ground-based cell towers and other infrastructure with the LEO satellite.

“The technical trial was part of our work to find potential solutions to the challenges of providing coverage in underserviced, rural and remote areas,” he added.

The companies received approval from the telecoms regulator ICASA to use radio frequencies on the MTN-licensed spectrum before their trial process. However, the companies did not provide details on their next steps.

See Also: Ahead of Starlink launch in SA, MTN explores partners for satellite-internet service.

For a while, telecom operators and smartphone producers have been making efforts to innovate satellite services that address the low-quality internet service and serve subscribers better, most especially in underserviced territories.

In November 2024, MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita announced that its South African subsidiary was carrying out proof of concept with a number of LEO operators for possible partnerships. Stressing the plan, he provided the feasibility of the plan to relevant stakeholders.

LEO satellites provide high-speed internet even in areas where terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure, such as fibre and mobile broadband, is difficult and expensive to deploy.

On a similar note, MTN South Africa’s smaller rival Cell C is also working towards securing similar partnership agreements. Also, South Africa’s biggest operator, Vodacom, which is majorly owned by Britain’s Vodafone, announced a partnership with Amazon’s Project Kuiper LEO satellite in 2023.

The race for mobile satellite connection

The race and efforts to uplift the mobile telecom standard have been intensifying.

In January, Vodafone made the world’s first video call via satellite using a standard smartphone from a remote location and plans to roll out the technology for its users across Europe later this year and in 2026.

The European mobile operator’s CEO, Margherita Della Valle, received the call from company engineer Rowan Chesmer, who was located in the Welsh mountains where there was no network signal.

“We were using the only satellite service that can offer a full mobile experience with a normal device, so you get everything from voice to text to video data transmission, which is why we did a full video call. Our objective is to bring the service to our customers as soon as possible,” Della Valle noted.

The CEO was joined by British astronaut Tim Peake at the launch of the company’s space-to-land gateway at its UK headquarters in Newbury, west of London. The gateway receives the signals from a user’s smartphone via the satellite and connects them to its core network.

Peake, who spent 186 days in space, noted that if another opportunity to join a mission came up, he would get deeply involved.

“Having spent six months on the space station living in a pretty remote and isolated environment, that ability to have a connection with family and friends is incredibly important,” he added.

Vodafone used AST SpaceMobile’s five BlueBird satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide transmission speeds of up to 120 megabits per second for standard smartphones.

Also in the development, Apple’s devices since iPhone 14 have been able to use the service to text emergency services, message friends and family, and share locations using low-bandwidth connections. Market rivals, including Google and Samsung, offer similar services.

T-Mobile U.S. and Elon Musk’s SpaceX are also testing Starlink satellites to provide text services. They also project to introduce voice and data to be added.