Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile have selected Germany as the location for their main satellite operations centre.

The centre will allocate and map satellite connectivity used by SatCo for mobile network operators (MNOs) across Europe to ensure ubiquitous mobile broadband in underserved areas and support emergency services and disaster relief agencies. It will be located near either Munich or Hannover, depending on final negotiations with relevant parties.

SatCo was created by AST and Vodafone earlier this year as a satellite operator based in Luxembourg, designed to deliver direct-to-smartphone mobile broadband across Europe.

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications. SatCo aims to provide a scalable European satellite mobile broadband service for use by MNOs to benefit all European citizens, businesses and public sector organisations.

MNOs in 21 European Union (EU) member states and other European countries have expressed interest in adopting the service, with commercial operations due to start next year.

The planned EU constellation will include a comprehensive command switch feature to support European oversight and security. This capability supports updating all telemetry, tracking and control (TTC) encryption keys for S-Band used to connect smartphones from space and Q/V-Band used for links between satellites and earth stations. It also allows for the modification of service encryption keys for communications across the continent, as well as manages the activation, deactivation and direction of satellite beams in Europe.

In addition to commercial mobile broadband, the constellation will support public protection and disaster relief efforts (PPDR). It does this by providing reliable, broadband-speed connectivity from space directly to the everyday smartphones and other cellular devices of emergency responders, even in dangerous and challenging environments.

“SatCo delivers a sovereign satellite solution to the whole of Europe,” said Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone (www.vodafone.com). “It will give European operators access to secure and resilient satellite communications, complementing existing terrestrial telecommunications networks. By establishing a satellite constellation in the EU and our principal command centre in Germany, we are ensuring the next frontier of communications infrastructure is firmly embedded in Europe.”

Abel Avellan, CEO of AST SpaceMobile, added: “Together with Vodafone, we are accelerating the arrival of true mobile broadband from space across Europe. Germany’s operations centre will be the operations hub for our BlueBird constellation in Europe, enabling us to serve millions of users. Alongside our gateways, we are building a robust, secure infrastructure that ensures Europe stays connected with seamless mobile broadband, always.”

The planned satellite constellation can also contribute to the development of a pan-European mobile broadband system, enhancing the communication and coordination of emergency services during crises and disasters, in line with the EU Critical Communication System (EUCCS) vision. In particular, the satellites will support frequency bands that are suitable for PPDR radio communications, subject to national decisions and deployment choices.

While many functions are automated, specialist engineers at the operations centre will monitor and respond to extra-terrestrial events such as solar flares, as well as manage issues that arise on Earth. It will also house one of a network of SatCo ground-based gateway stations across Europe. These gateways provide secure backhaul links between the satellite constellation and terrestrial 4G and 5G networks, enabling users to switch automatically between space-based and land-based coverage for uninterrupted, resilient connectivity.

AST SpaceMobile (ast-science.com) has submitted through Germany the appropriate filings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This will help manage and mitigate any signal interference and ensure the smooth integration with existing mobile telecoms networks.

Germany’s central location provides SatCo with a foundation to complement terrestrial networks, supporting the need to keep users across Europe securely connected anytime, anywhere. In addition to providing service to all EU MNOs using their national spectrum bands, SatCo is a candidate for access to the EU 2GHz Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum. If secured, this would enable existing MNOs to distribute a fully pan-European, sovereign, space-based broadband service directly to their customers.

The aforementioned PPDR frequency bands (698-703/753-758MHz and 733-736/788-791MHz) would be used to support this capability.