Satellite backhaul at 1 Gbps, no fibre trench required. Vodafone and Amazon have signed an agreement to use low Earth orbit satellites to connect mobile base stations in remote parts of Europe and Africa.
The deal, announced on 2 March 2026, will see Vodafone use Amazon Leo, Amazon’s satellite broadband constellation, to provide backhaul connectivity for 4G and 5G base stations in areas where laying fibre or deploying fixed wireless links is too costly or time-consuming. The service will initially launch in Germany and other European markets before being rolled out across Africa through Vodacom.
How it works
Amazon Leo uses thousands of low Earth orbit satellites to provide cell site backhaul, offering speeds of up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload. Rather than replacing ground-based networks, the satellites connect geographically isolated mobile masts back to Vodafone’s core telecom infrastructure.
The service also strengthens network resilience. If fibre links connecting mobile masts are cut or damaged by flooding, the satellite backhaul acts as a fallback for emergency and critical services.
Africa rollout through Vodacom
For the African continent, the agreement will be delivered through Vodacom, Vodafone’s majority-owned subsidiary. The companies expect the first sites to be connected in 2026, with further expansion as Amazon builds out its constellation.
“At Vodacom, we are working every day to bring more people in Africa online and in reach of vital digital services,” Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, said. “Partnering with Amazon Leo enables us to swiftly deploy mobile connectivity in isolated areas, allowing us to efficiently expand our reach to more customers throughout the African continent.”
The agreement aligns with Vodacom’s Vision 2030 targets of reaching 260 million customers, expanding financial services, and raising smartphone penetration to 75%. Vodacom already shares network infrastructure with Airtel in several African markets, and satellite backhaul could accelerate coverage in areas where both operators struggle to reach.
Amazon Leo’s progress
Amazon Leo has more than 200 satellites in orbit with hundreds more built and ready for launch. The service began a preview for enterprise customers in November 2025 and will expand as additional coverage and capacity come online. The constellation is designed to comprise more than 3,000 satellites in total.
The Vodafone deal adds to a growing list of partnerships between satellite operators and African telecoms companies. MTN Zambia recently completed Africa’s first Starlink Direct to Cell test, while multiple operators are exploring satellite-based solutions to close the continent’s connectivity gaps.
Leave a Reply