Vodafone and Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network, have signed an agreement to connect many more 4G and 5G mobile sites in remote areas to improve coverage for customers with limited connectivity across Europe and Africa.
With Amazon Leo, Vodafone can deploy 4G and 5G base stations more easily and affordably in previously unserved areas, without the time and expense of installing long fibre-based or fixed wireless links back to the core network. This is especially relevant in rural hard-to-reach areas. Vodafone will also use the service to boost network resilience for emergency and critical online services if fibre links connecting mobile masts are broken or impacted by flooding.
Amazon Leo operates through a constellation of thousands of satellites designed to deliver high-speed broadband connectivity. The system supports cell site backhaul speeds of up to 1 Gbps for downloads and 400 Mbps for uploads, enabling telecom providers to scale and strengthen their networks more rapidly.
Under the agreement, Vodafone will initially connect dispersed mobile base stations in Germany and other European markets to its core network using Amazon Leo. The service will later be extended across Africa through Vodacom. The first mobile sites are expected to go live in 2026, with further expansion planned as Amazon Leo continues to build out its satellite constellation.
Commenting on the deal, Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, said: “Vodafone is looking to space to connect more mobile base stations to our core network, and strengthen resilience even in the most challenging environments. Amazon Leo’s new satellite constellation supports our ambition to give all Vodafone customers reliable and high-speed connectivity, wherever they are.”
Panos Panay, Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices & Services, added: “Connectivity shouldn’t depend on where you live. With Amazon Leo, we’re helping bring fast, reliable broadband to places traditional infrastructure can’t easily reach — from rural communities to critical emergency networks. Partnering with Vodafone and Vodacom is an important step toward connecting millions more people across Europe and Africa and expanding access to the digital services that power modern life.”
Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, commented: “At Vodacom, we are working every day to bring more people in Africa online and in reach of vital digital services. 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 also supports Vodafone’s goal of extending advanced 5G services in Europe and aligns with Vodacom’s Vision 2030 targets: reaching 260m customers, expanding financial services and raising smartphone penetration to 75% by 2030.
Amazon Leo has over 200 satellites in orbit and hundreds more built and ready for launch. It started a preview for enterprise customers in November 2025, and will roll out more broadly as it adds coverage and capacity to its network.
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