Vodafone, AST SpaceMobile and University of Málaga are teaming up to launch a new space and land mobile broadband research and validation hub for Europe.
The hub is set to open by Summer 2025 at Vodafone’s Innovation Centre in Málaga, supported by the Spanish Space Agency. Vodafone says it will be Europe’s first research hub dedicated to developing integrated low earth orbit (LEO) space-based and land mobile broadband services, which allow users to switch between satellite and 4G/5G networks using normal smartphones.
The project is supported by an initial grant from the Spanish Space Agency, and AST SpaceMobile and the University of Málaga (UMA) have signed on as Vodafone’s lead partners with other third-party technology companies and developers invited to join as well.
