MOBILE giant Vodafone says it has successfully made the world's first space video call using a normal smartphone and satellites from a Ceredigion mountainside.

Vodafone says the technology will allow people living in not spots to make and receive video calls and access the internet using satellites instead of standard mobile phone masts.

It is the only satellite technology of its kind built to offer a full mobile broadband experience and paves the way for universal digital connectivity and the closure of mobile coverage gaps.

Unlike today’s satellite-based services, users do not need a special dish, terminal or expensive satellite phone to benefit from full mobile broadband connectivity.

The service they will receive mirrors the experience of existing 4G and 5G mobile networks, enabling them to use everyday smartphones to switch between space and ground-based networks automatically.

Astronaut Tim Peake and Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, marked this significant milestone at Vodafone’s new space-to-land gateway, which receives and channels all the signals sent from a user’s smartphone via the BlueBird satellites of Vodafone’s partner, AST SpaceMobile.

Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer put it to the test when he made the historic space-based video call to Margherita from a remote mountainous location in mid-Wales – where there has never been mobile broadband before.

Margherita Della Valle said: “Vodafone’s job is to get everyone connected, no matter where they are. Our advanced European 5G network will now be complemented with cutting-edge satellite technology. We are bringing customers the best network and connecting people who have never had access to mobile communications before. This will help to close the digital divide, supporting people from all corners of Europe to keep in touch with family and friends, or work, as well as ensuring reliable rural connectivity in an emergency.”