Vodacom hopes to launch a commercial satellite-to-phone service in South Africa towards the end of 2027. Group chief executive Shameel Joosub told TechCentral the company will “more than likely” do it with AST SpaceMobile.
Joosub spoke in an interview on Tuesday, after Vodacom released its interim results. He confirmed that the target applies to South Africa.
Direct-to-cell services link ordinary smartphones to satellites in low-Earth orbit. The satellites work like cell towers in space and fill gaps where there is no coverage from the ground.
Vodafone Group, Vodacom’s UK parent, has backed AST SpaceMobile since 2020. In January 2025, Vodafone used its satellites for what it called the world’s first satellite video call from a standard smartphone.
Vodacom also has an agreement with SpaceX’s Starlink. Joosub said that deal covers broadband and not direct-to-mobile services. He said Vodacom has launched Starlink in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique.
The November 2025 deal covered satellite backhaul for rural sites. It also covered the resale of Starlink equipment to business customers. Starlink has no South African licence.
Joosub said Starlink was running direct-to-mobile trials in Africa. Airtel Africa switched on a commercial Starlink Mobile service in the DRC in August, TechCentral reported. That service carries text messages and light data such as WhatsApp, but not voice.
Satellite connectivity is one reason Vodacom wants South Africa’s 2G and 3G networks switched off. Joosub said direct-to-cell services will not work on 2G or 3G phones. He said Vodacom will set aside some of its spectrum for satellite.
He said switching off 3G would also free frequencies for 4G and cut the number of sites Vodacom needs. 3G cells shrink as more traffic is loaded onto them, so they must be packed closer together, he said. 4G cells keep their size.
Joosub proposed stopping older devices from entering the country first. “You say, look, from six months’ time, nobody can connect 2G or 3G devices or import 2G or 3G devices. Then you give yourself a two-year run-off period, and the numbers will become a lot smaller because the phones will become old,” he said.
“Then you can deal with the residual, similar to the TV migration,” he said.
There is no government deadline for the switch-off. Communications minister Solly Malatsi said in November 2024 that it should be led by the market. His department formally dropped the earlier deadline of 31 December 2027 in July 2025.
Vodacom Group chief technology officer Dejan Kastelic has told TechCentral that South Africa could be ready to switch off 3G within 12 to 24 months. He said operators would need to agree on a common date. None wants to go first and hand its 3G customers to a rival, he said.
Kastelic has also said Icasa should make some spectrum available to operators for satellite-to-phone services. That spectrum was once reserved for a wholesale open-access network that was later abandoned. He said it should be priced below its value for normal mobile use.
MTN said in March 2025 that it had made South Africa’s first satellite direct-to-mobile test call, with Lynk Global.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TechCentral. Image: TechCentral. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.