• VodafoneThree is the latest carrier given permission to use satellite tech to cover not-spots
• O2 already granted permission, EE to work with Starlink
• Handset rules need updating as well as operator licenses

Ofcom has confirmed it has approved a request from VodafoneThree to amend one of the spectrum licenses it holds, which would mean it can provide 'direct-to-device' satellite connectivity to mobile phones.

The recently-merged companies would be able to provide calls, texts and data to standard smartphones in the UK, making it much more akin to regular cell service rather than Apple's satellite-based SOS features.

Satellite connectivity would play an important role in plugging gaps in today's current infrastructure, providing signal where there is no signal.

VodafoneThree granted approval to use satellites

VodafoneThree isn't the only company to have been granted such permission – O2 was also given the green light earlier in 2026.

"By launching O2 Satellite, we've become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time," VMO2 CEO Lutz Schuler boasted, when the company launched satellite connections for some early supported Samsung devices.

However, there could be more at play before satellite connectivity becomes commonplace. Ofcom said that, while granting operator licenses is one part that it's done twice this year, it also needs to amend its handset regulations following public consultation over the next month.

In the US, T-Mobile has already launched a satellite-to-cell service for an additional $10 monthly fee.

As for the UK's only other main carrier, EE announced a partnership with Starling in late 2025 to tackle so-called 'not-spots' across the UK as soon as the second half of 2026.

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